N.Y. Education Law § 806: Courses of instruction in highway safety and traffic regulation; school safety patrols

§ 806. Courses of instruction in highway safety and traffic

regulation; school safety patrols. 1. The regents of The University of

the State of New York shall prescribe courses of instruction in highway

safety and traffic regulation which shall include bicycle safety, to be

maintained and followed in all the schools of the state. The boards of

education and trustees of the several cities and school districts of the

state shall require instruction to be given in such courses, by the

teachers employed in the schools therein. All pupils attending such

schools shall attend upon such instruction.

Similar courses of instruction shall be prescribed and maintained in

private schools in the state, and all pupils in such schools shall

attend upon such courses. If such courses are not so established and

maintained in a private school, attendance upon instruction in such

school shall not be deemed substantially equivalent to instruction given

to pupils of like grade in the public schools in the city or district in

which such pupils reside.

2. The regents shall determine the subjects to be included in such

courses of instruction in highway safety and traffic regulation

including bicycle safety, and the period of instruction in each of the

grades in such subjects. They shall adopt rules providing for

attendance upon such instruction and for such other matters as are

required for carrying into effect the teaching of the courses of

instruction prescribed by this section. The commissioner of education

shall be responsible for the enforcement of such section and shall cause

to be inspected and supervise the instruction to be given in such

subjects. The commissioner may, in his discretion, cause all or a

portion of the public school money to be apportioned to a district or

city to be withheld for failure of the school authorities of such

district or city to provide instruction in such courses and to compel

attendance upon such instruction, as herein prescribed, and for a

noncompliance with the rules of the regents adopted as herein provided.

3. Any board of education or school district board is empowered to

organize in the school over which it has control a school safety patrol

and, with the written consent of the parents, to appoint pupils as

members thereof for the purpose of influencing and encouraging the safe

use of highways and highway crossings and bicycles by the pupils of the

school. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize or

permit the use of any safety patrol member for the purpose of directing

vehicular traffic nor shall any safety patrol member be stationed in

that portion of the highway intended for the use of vehicular traffic.

Such patrol shall function only under the direction and control of the

principal or teacher in charge of such school. No liability shall attach

either to the school district or any individual, trustee, board member,

superintendent, principal, teacher or other school authority by virtue

of the organization, maintenance or operation of a school safety patrol

organized, maintained and operated under authority of this section.