Lupinacci Defends Teachers with New Legislation 

Assemblyman Lupinacci

From the Office of Assemblyman Lupinacci:

Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci took a stand for the students and teachers of New York State by helping pass Assembly Bill A.7303-A, which would alter and eliminate some of the State Education Department’s newest regulations that have negatively impacted school districts across New York State for months.

“This bill is a step in the right direction in protecting our teachers from unfair evaluations and our students from grueling tests, but our efforts should not stop here,” said Lupinacci, who is a former School Board Member at South Huntington. “We need to keep our voices loud and passionate, and make it clear to the governor and the State Education Department that our school districts will not be hindered any longer.”

The legislation addresses several issues, including extending the deadline on new teacher evaluations from June 30, 2015 until November 17, 2015, and guarantees no loss of funding if the evaluations are not in place by the deadline. The bill also removes the requirement that school districts must use independent evaluators in classroom observations, and would implement a Content Review Committee that would review standardized tests to ensure that students are being graded fairly.

“My Assembly Minority colleagues and I understand that students are not statistics. This bill is a good first step to reform the teacher evaluation system and explore more accurate and fair options which put our children first. As a fellow educator, I truly value the work of New York’s public school teachers and commend them for their devoted efforts.”