Power of Ten Special Edition:
Reminder: Tonight (Tuesday June 12) at 6:30 at the Rockland Legislature
Please attend this meeting, to show support for this essential action to protect every child's right to education.
When: June 12 at 6:30 PM
Where: 11 New Hempstead Rd, New City
RESOLUTION NO. __ OF 2018
URGING THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE TO PASS BILLS A.1305
AND S.1733 CREATING AN ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM FOR NONPUBLIC
SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
WHEREAS, In 2015, Parents of students and former students of several religious
schools in the East Ramapo School District filed a class action lawsuit alleging that
school and education officials failed to provide boys with a sound basic education; and
WHEREAS, The lawsuit claimed that the students were only provided a limited
number of hours of secular education per week and asked the Court to compel these
schools to raise their educational standards; and
WHEREAS, Currently, New York State Education Law requires that a student in
a non-public school must be provided with a substantially equivalent education. The
purpose of this requirement is to ensure that all children are afforded a quality and basic
education regardless of where they receive instruction; and
WHEREAS, · New York State Education Law, however, does not provide an
enforcement mechanism to ensure that a non-public school complies with required
standards leaving parents and students with no remedy; and
WHEREAS, Assembly Bill A.1305 and Senate Bill S.1733 clarifies that a
student's education in a non-public school must be substantially equivalent to the public
school district where the school is located rather than where the minor resides and
creates a comp'9int process whereby parents, students, teachers and/or residents can
file a complaint with the Department of Education if they believe a non-public school is
failing to comply with the educational standards already set in place; and
WHEREAS, the Committee has met, considered and by a
vote, approved this resolution; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Legislature of Rockland County hereby urges the New York
Legislature to pass Bills A.1305 and S.1733 to amend the Education Law by creating an
enforcement mechanism for education standards in non-public schools; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Clerk to the Legislature be and is hereby authorized and
directed to send a copy of this resolution to Hon. Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the
State of New York; Hon. David Carlucci, Hon. William J. Larkin, Jr., New York State
Senators, Hon. Kenneth P. Zebrowski, Jr., Hon. Ellen C. Jaffee, Hon. James G. Skoufis,
and Hon. Karl Brabanec, Members of the New York State Assembly; the President Pro
Tern of the New York State Senate; the Speaker of the New York State Assembly; the
Majority and Minority Leaders of the New York State Senate and Assembly; and to such
other persons as the Clerk, in his discretion, may deem proper in order to effectuate the
purpose of this resolution.