Extracts from Education Law - Article 17

803-a: Courses of study in prevention of child abduction.

1. All pupils in grades K-8 in all public schools in the state shall receive instruction designed to prevent the abduction of children. Such instruction shall be provided by or under the direct supervision of regular classroom teachers, provided, however, that such instruction may be provided by any other agency, public or private.

2. The commissioner shall provide technical assistance to assist in the development of curricula for such courses of study which shall be age appropriate and developed according to the needs and abilities of pupils at successive grade levels in order to provide awareness skills, information, self-confidence and support to aid in the prevention of child abduction.

3. For purposes -of developing such courses of study, the board of education or trustees of every school district may establish local advisory councils or utilize the school-based shared decision-making and planning committee established pursuant to regulations of the commissioner to make recommendations concerning the content and implementation of such courses. School districts may alternatively utilize courses of instruction developed by consortia of school district, boards of cooperative educational services, other school districts or any other agency, public or private. Such advisory councils shall consist of, but not be limited to, parents, school trustees and board members, appropriate school personnel, business and community representatives, and law enforcement personnel having experience in the prevention of child abduction.

4. The board of education or trustees of every school district shall provide appropriate training and curriculum materials for the regular teachers who provide such instruction. (Added L. 1994, c. 658, § 1.)

 

804. Health education regarding alcohol drugs and tobacco abuse

1. All schools shall include, as an integral part of health education, instruction so as to discourage the misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and promote attitudes and behavior that enhance health, well-being, and human dignity.

2. Instruction regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs shall be included in the health education provided for all elementary school pupils and shall be taught by the regular classroom teachers or by teachers certified to teach health education. Such instruction shall be designed according to the needs and abilities of the pupils at successive grade levels with the purpose of developing desirable health behavior, attitudes, and knowledge as well as self-reliance and problem-solving capacity.

3. Instruction regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, in addition to continued health guidance in the junior high school grades and the senior high schools, shall be an integral pan of a required health education course at each of these levels in the secondary schools curriculum. Any such course shall be taught by teachers holding a certificate to, teach health. Related courses in the secondary school curriculum shall be taught in a manner supportive of health education regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. In addition, instruction regarding the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs shall be an integral part of a required health education course in the senior high schools. Such instruction shall be provided in all senior high schools whether or not these schools also provide driver education courses.

4. The commissioner may prescribe in regulations such health education courses which include instruction regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs as the commissioner may deem necessary and desirable for the welfare of pupils and the community. The contents may be varied to meet the needs of particular school districts, or portions thereof, and need not be uniform throughout the state, provided, however, that school districts shall utilize either the curriculum for health education instruction regarding alcohol, tobacco and other drugs prescribed by the commissioner or a course approved by the commissioner in accordance with criteria established by the commissioner.

5. School authorities shall provide the needed facilities, time, and place for the instruction set forth herein and shall provide learning aids and curriculum resource materials which contribute to effective teaching methods and learning in health education regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

6. All pre-service training programs in the state for elementary teachers shall include adequate preparation regarding the instruction in alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs set forth herein, and no teacher shall be licensed except upon satisfactory demonstration of the competencies included in the institutional proposals approved by the education department.

Section 804. 3-a. Instruction regarding methods of prevention and detection of certain cancers, including but not limited to breast cancer. skin cancer, testicular cancer and other cancers where certain preventive measures have become generally accepted and certain detection methods have been adopted and recommended generally to the public. Such instruction shall be an integral part of a required health education course at the senior high school level, in addition to continued health guidance in senior high schools. Any such course shall be taught by teachers holding a certificate to teach health. N.B.: Effective 01/7/99

 

§ 804-a. Comprehensive school health education demonstration program.

1. Within the amounts appropriated, the commissioner is hereby authorized to establish a demonstration program and to distribute state funds to local school districts, boards of cooperative educational services and in certain instances community school districts, for the development, implementation, evaluation, validation, demonstration and replication of exemplary comprehensive health education programs to assist the public schools in developing curricula, training staff, and addressing local health education needs of students, parents, and staff.

2. School districts or BOCES may contract with appropriate agencies or organizations to participate in such program. Such program shall be limited to health education at the elementary level and shall be designed on a multi- year basis. Such program shall include but not be limited to the following components:

a. Developer grants for comprehensive school health education programs.
(i) Such grants shall include the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive health education program including such activities as:

(A) coordination of health instruction with other available programs in the school and the community related to health education;
(B) provision of inservice training and materials for elementary level school teachers in comprehensive health education;
(C) development and implementation of evaluation procedures to measure students' knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes prior to and after project implementation; and
(D) development and implementation of a mechanism for project maintenance and long-range programming.

(ii) Upon successful completion of the above activities and the availability of funds, such grant recipients will assist other local educational agencies with replication.

b. Health education regional training centers. Regional training centers for the purpose of developing materials and providing training programs to meet the needs of teachers statewide in the implementation of comprehensive school health education programs at the elementary level will be established.

c. Statewide advocacy for comprehensive school health education. Development and implementation of a statewide advocacy program to create an awareness on the part of school administrators of the need to develop strategies for implementing comprehensive school health education programs at the elementary level.

d. Replication of validated health education programs. Grants will be awarded to local school districts or boards of cooperative educational services for the replication of nationally or state-validated exemplary health education programs.

 

Section 804-b. Education regarding child development.

1. All schools shall be authorized to include, as an integral part of home economics or health education, instruction regarding child development and parental skills and responsibility.

2. Instruction regarding child development and parental skills and responsibility may be included in the home economics or health education provided for all secondary school pupils and shall be taught by teachers certified to teach home economics or health education. Related courses in the secondary school curriculum may be taught in a manner supportive of home economics education or health education regarding child development and parental skills and responsibility.

3. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations to establish a curriculum for instruction regarding child development and parental skills and responsibility for the welfare of pupils and the community to be available in school districts. The contents may be varied to meet the needs of particular school districts, or portions thereof, and need not be uniform throughout the state.

4. School authorities shall be authorized to provide the needed facilities. time. and place for the instruction set forth herein and to provide learning aids and curriculum resource materials which contribute to effective teaching methods and learning in home economics education or health education regarding child development and parental skills and responsibility.