S 6581: Requires school districts and board of cooperative educational services to pay physical therapists and occupational therapists in alignment with the department's career ladder pathway framework; makes related provisions.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6581 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 18, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to physical therapists and occupational therapists in school districts and board of cooper- ative educational services The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 912 of the education law, as amended by chapter 477 2 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 912. Health and welfare services to all children. The voters and/or 4 trustees or board of education of every school district shall, upon 5 request of the authorities of a school other than public, provide resi- 6 dent children who attend such school with any or all of the health and 7 welfare services and facilities which are made available by such voters 8 and/or trustees or board of education to or for children attending the 9 public schools of the district. Such services may include, but are not 10 limited to all services performed by a physician, physician assistant, 11 physical therapist, occupational therapist, dentist, dental hygienist, 12 registered professional nurse, nurse practitioner, school psychologist, 13 school social worker or school speech therapist, and may also include 14 dental prophylaxis, vision and hearing screening examinations, the 15 taking of medical histories and the administration of health screening 16 tests, the maintenance of cumulative health records and the adminis- 17 tration of emergency care programs for ill or injured students. Any such 18 services or facilities shall be so provided notwithstanding any 19 provision of any charter or other provision of law inconsistent here- 20 with. Where children residing in one school district attend a school 21 other than public located in another school district, the school author- 22 ities of the district of residence shall contract with the school 23 authorities of the district where such nonpublic school is located, for EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01816-01-5 
 S. 6581 2 1 the provision of such health and welfare services and facilities to such 2 children by the school district where such nonpublic school is located, 3 for a consideration to be agreed upon between the school authorities of 4 such districts, subject to the approval of the qualified voters of the 5 district of residence when required under the provisions of this chap- 6 ter. Every such contract shall be in writing and in the form prescribed 7 by the commissioner, and before such contract is executed the same shall 8 be submitted for approval to the superintendent of schools having juris- 9 diction over such district of residence and such contract shall not 10 become effective until approved by such superintendent. 11 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3039 to read 12 as follows: 13 § 3039. Physical and occupational therapists. Each school district or 14 board of cooperative educational services which employs a physical ther- 15 apist as licensed pursuant to article one hundred thirty-six of this 16 chapter or an occupational therapist licensed pursuant to article one 17 hundred fifty-six of this chapter shall categorize and pay such thera- 18 pists in alignment with the department's career ladder pathway frame- 19 work. Each school district or board of cooperative educational services 20 shall further offer such therapists school leadership opportunities that 21 are developed collaboratively and systematically to implement comprehen- 22 sive systems of professional learning, support and advancement for all 23 educators. 24 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 25 the date on which it shall have become a law.