Committee Report | May 2011

Report of the


REGENTS P-12 EDUCATION COMMITTEE


to


The Board of Regents


May 17, 2011

            Your P-12 Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on May 17, 2011.  All members were present, except for Chancellor Emeritus Bennett and Regent Dawson, who were excused.

ACTION ITEMS

Charter


School Actions

Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents approves and issues the second renewal charter of the Tapestry Charter School as proposed by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including April 24, 2016.   [P-12 (A) 1]

MOTION FOR ACTION BY FULL BOARD

           

Madam Chancellor and Colleagues: Your P-12 Education Committee recommends, and I move, that the Board of Regents act affirmatively upon each recommendation in the written report of the Committee's deliberations at its meeting on May 17, 2011, copies of which have been distributed to each Regent.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Laboratory Requirements for Qualifying to take a Regents Exam in any of the Sciences – The Committee discussed the current laboratory requirements necessary for students to qualify to take a Regents Exam in any of the Sciences and recent changes and proposed additions to regulations that allow students to demonstrate achievement of the NYS Learning Standards through alternate pathways beyond traditional coursework, including online and blended learning.  The Committee directed staff to convene a group of science, technology, and education stakeholders including teachers and leaders from school districts, institutions of higher education, and business and industry to review and evaluate the science laboratory requirement; consider and appraise current available research on teaching and learning in science; and make recommendations to the Board of Regents regarding amendments to current regulations.  [P-12 (D) 1]

School Safety Plans – the Committee discussed proposed amendments to regulations relating to district-wide school safety plans and building-level school emergency response plans.  Current regulations require that the district-wide school safety plans include the minimum requirements prescribed by law, plus plans of evacuation and sheltering as well as information on school population, number of staff, transportation needs and the business and home telephone numbers of key officials of each educational agency within the district.  Due to recent events surrounding safety and security, this confidential information will now be part of the building-level school emergency response plan, which is not shared with the general public.  This proposed amendment will ensure that confidential information including the home telephone numbers of local education officials and the tactical strategies for responding to critical events such as building evacuation and sheltering are not disclosed to the public.  These proposed regulations will be presented to the Committee at the July meeting for permanent adoption.   [P-12 (D) 2]

Consent Agenda Items – Senior Deputy Commissioner King presented the following item scheduled for approval on the full Board consent agenda:

• Proposed amendments to regulations to make technical amendments to Section 100.2(ee)(2) relating to Academic Intervention Services.