S 4952: Expands the requirements for teaching humane education of animals to secondary school students; requires verification of compliance.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4952 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, ADDABBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to expanding the require- ments for teaching humane education to secondary school students and provides for the verification of compliance of such instruction The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 809 of the education law, as 2 amended by chapter 542 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 1. a. The officer, board or commission authorized or required to 5 prescribe courses of instruction shall cause instruction to be given in 6 every elementary school under state control or supported wholly or part- 7 ly by public money of the state, in the humane treatment and protection 8 of animals and the importance of the part they play in the economy of 9 nature as well as the necessity of controlling the proliferation of 10 animals which are subsequently abandoned and caused to suffer extreme 11 cruelty. Such instruction shall be for such period of time during each 12 school year as the board of regents may prescribe and may be joined with 13 work in literature, reading, language, nature study or ethnology. Such 14 weekly instruction may be divided into two or more periods. 15 b. The officer, board, or commission authorized or required to 16 prescribe courses of instruction shall cause instruction to be given in 17 every secondary school under state control or supported wholly or partly 18 by public money of the state, in the humane treatment and protection of 19 animals and the importance of the part they play in the economy of 20 nature as well as the necessity of controlling the proliferation of 21 animals which are subsequently abandoned and caused to suffer extreme 22 cruelty. Such instruction shall include educating students on the prin- 23 ciples of kindness to and respect for animals and observance of laws and 24 rules pertaining to the humane treatment of animals. The commissioner EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02615-01-5 
 S. 4952 2 1 shall determine how to incorporate such instruction in existing curric- 2 ula and the commissioner shall promulgate any regulations needed to 3 carry out such determination. 4 c. A school district shall not be entitled to participate in the 5 public school money on account of any school or the attendance at any 6 school subject to the provisions of this section, if the instruction 7 required [hereby] pursuant to this section is not given therein. 8 § 2. Section 809 of the education law is amended by adding a new 9 subdivision 7 to read as follows: 10 7. Compliance records. The commissioner shall maintain records verify- 11 ing school compliance with the provisions of this section and shall make 12 such information available to the public, including on its website. 13 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 14 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the 15 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary 16 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized 17 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.