Message from the Executive Director
July 6, 2025
Dear Members and Stakeholders,
The past week featured a great deal of activity on the state and national levels with significant impact on K-12 education ranging from implementing new state policies to federal funding holdbacks and the federal reconciliation bill passing in Congress. Leading up to the July 4 holiday weekend, here is the latest.
In a “Dear Colleague” letter sent on Wednesday, the State Education Department (SED) reminded school districts and BOCES that they will be required to adopt a written distraction-free school policy by Aug. 1, 2025, prohibiting the use of internet-enabled devices by students during the school day anywhere on school grounds. According to SED, The policy:
- May include exceptions (if authorized by a teacher/principal/district/BOCES for a specific educational purpose; for student healthcare management; the event of an emergency; translation services; where required by law; or when included in a student IEP or 504 plan).
- Creates an exception on a case-by-case basis determined by a school psychologist, social worker, or counselor if the student is a caregiver.
- Requires schools to consult with local stakeholders when developing policies and prohibits schools from suspending students only on the grounds of violation of the policy.
The letter said the policy “must also include one or more methods for parents or guardians to contact their children during the school day, with written notification of these methods provided to families. Additionally, the policy must address on-site storage for student devices. Schools are required to publish an enforcement report annually and mitigate statistically significant disparities in enforcement based on demographics by September 1, 2026.”
More information is available on the state’s distraction-free schools resource page. Schools will be receiving a communication this week asking them to provide a link to their posted policy. Allocations will also be made available this week, according to the letter. The state budget provides $13.5 million to help schools comply with the new state requirement. NYSSBA joined with the New York State Council of School Superintendents and Association of School Business Officials New York to ask Gov. Kathy Hochul to take “swift action” on the state plan to allocate this funding.
Trump administration withholds $6 billion in education funding
The Trump Administration announced on Monday it was holding back more than $6 billion in federal funding to schools that was set to be released on July 1. The administration described the action as allowing for programs to be reviewed to ensure they align with the president’s priorities.
The programs affected are:
- Title I-C for migrant education ($375 million)
- Title II-A for professional development ($2.2 billion)
- Title III-A for English-learner services ($890 million)
- Title IV-B for before- and after-school programs ($1.4 billion)
- 21st Century Community Learning Centers ($1.3 billion)
In New York State, this action affects 13.5% of Department of Education K-12 funding, totaling over $400 million. I encourage you to reach out to your members of Congress to alert them to any funding that you were supposed to receive, but did not, and how that will impact the services you provide to your students. You can find your congressional representative(s) by using this tool. Please also respond to NSBA’s Take Action on this issue.
NYSSBA governmental relations staff would be happy to assist you in your efforts, so please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
SED reacts to federal funds delay; programs funded through August
SED sent out a communication on Wednesday following the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announcement that it was withholding funding. SED noted: “New York’s public schools are funded through Aug. 31, 2025 pursuant to a Continuing Resolution adopted by Congress. Therefore, New York’s summer programs are unaffected by this delay and may proceed as scheduled.”
SED stated: “The New York State Education Department is nevertheless concerned by DOE’s delay, which was explained only with vague allusions to a ‘change in Administration…’ and ‘the President’s priorities.’ We would encourage school leaders who are similarly concerned to contact their Congressional Representatives,” SED stated.
Federal reconciliation bill passes
As I was writing this week’s message, the House of Representatives passed the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which is expected to have a negative impact on public education by:
- Diverting federal tax revenue to subsidize private school vouchers through a new tax credit program that lacks accountability and oversight.
- Cutting Medicaid funding, including for school-based services, putting supports for students with disabilities and low-income families at risk.
- Slashing federal nutrition programs that help ensure students have access to the healthy food they need to learn and thrive
These proposals threaten to undermine the foundation of public education by reducing resources, forcing unfunded mandates on school districts, and deepening inequities for vulnerable students.
On behalf of its membership, NYSSBA sent a letter to New York’s Congressional Delegation urging them to oppose cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, support public schools by not diverting funds to private schools and eliminate the State and Local Tax Deduction cap.
The National School Boards Association’s Take Action effort helped school board members ask their members of Congress to protect students by preserving the education, nutrition, and health services they rely on.
I will provide additional information in next week’s message.
Prepare for the future by attending a Summer Law conference
Given the numerous changes driven by new laws, court decisions, SED rulings and presidential executive orders, and the challenges ahead based on federal funding changes, the NYSSBA team has developed a Summer Law Conference program designed to prepare you to navigate the year ahead.
Attending one of these conferences – on Long Island (July 15), in Albany before the LEE event (July 31) or virtually (Aug. 5-6) – will give you the opportunity to gain knowledge from experts and leave with real-world takeaways that will benefit your district when you return to the board table.
By attending, you will learn how to handle immigration issues from an immigration attorney who is also a school attorney; hear practical approaches to achieving heath benefit cost-savings; and understand how the return to the 2020 Title IX regulations affects your district’s policies and the greater protections afforded by state law.
Additionally, our team of NYSSBA attorneys will ensure that you are up to speed on all new laws, regulations, court decisions and other rulings. I encourage you to learn more about the conference and consider attending one of these sessions.
Weekly updates and reminders
Register here: Leadership in Education Event, August 1 and 2 at the Crowne Plaza Albany –The Desmond Hotel
The fourth annual Leadership in Education Event will be held on Aug. 1 and 2. The event will include sessions on student mental health support services, building board unity, student digital literacy, ex officio student board members, financial planning for an uncertain future, and BOCES and future-ready students. We have added more dedicated networking time and a Friday afternoon member reception, so you can share ideas and collaborate with your colleagues from around the state. This year’s event will be held in conjunction with our Albany Summer Law Conference.
Resolutions deadline is July 18
Our 2025 Resolutions July 18 deadline is rapidly approaching. The Resolutions Kit contains results of the recent resolutions survey and detailed instructions on the resolution and by law submission process. The FAQ Video will answer many questions you may have. If you are interested in submitting a resolution, we encourage you to review our current position statements, found here, to verify we do not have an active position that fulfills what you are looking to submit.
New York State Education Department
Annual IDEA Determinations for School Districts | New York State Education Department has been published. Also posted is a memo titled “2025 Accountability Status under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) – Final IDEA Determinations & Required Interventions under IDEA General Supervision” to remind districts how to view their individual data and calculation and to inform districts of required professional development provided by the Office of Special Education’s Educational Partnership during the 2025-2026 school year. Please direct any questions to IDEA.LEA.Determinations@nysed.gov.
As I close this week’s message, I’d like to offer my congratulations to NYSSBA member Scott Levy and Corinth Central School District Superintendent Dr. Mark Stratton on their appointments to the New York State Teachers Retirement System Board of Trustees.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable July 4 holiday weekend!
Be well and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Robert S. Schneider CPA, CAE
Executive Director
New York State School Boards Association