BILL NUMBER: S8273
SPONSOR: STEWART-COUSINS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend chapter 118 of the laws of 1969, relating to a separate
union free school district in the town of Greenburgh in the county of
Westchester, in relation to property used by the Greenburgh North Castle
Union Free School District number 12 and authorizing such school
district to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc.; and to repeal subdivi-
sion b of section 5 of chapter 118 of the laws of 1969, relating to a
separate union free school district in the town of Greenburgh in the
county of Westchester, relating to authorizing the Greenburgh North
Castle Union Free School District number 12 to affiliate with any child
care institution or entity other than St. Christopher's School, Inc.
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Greenburgh North Castle
Union Free School District to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc. to
continue providing educational services beyond the 20242025 school year.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends existing law to extend Greenburgh North
Castle Union Free School District's classification as a separate union
free school district past the 2024-2025 school year, to add and remove
properties where Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District can
operate, to discontinue the operation of Greenburgh North Castle Union
Free School District at 623 Blooming Grove Turnpike in New Windsor by
June 30, 2025, and to authorize the affiliation between Greenburgh North
Castle Union Free School District and Rising Ground, Inc. This section
also sets the standards for the new Board of Education for Greenburgh
North Castle Union Free School District after it affiliates with Rising
Ground.
Section 2 repeals a subdivision of existing law relating to Greenburgh
North Castle Union Free School District's ability to operate while
affiliated with any child care institution other than St. Christopher's
School, Inc. for the 2024-2025 school year.
Section 2 is the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Following St. Christopher's, Inc. 's (St. Christopher's) Chapter 11
bankruptcy filing in April 2024, the New York State Legislature passed a
law allowing the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District
(GNC) to operate while affiliated with any child care institution other
than St. Christopher's for the 2024-2025 school year. That law ensured
that 55 severely disabled children and young adults, previously in resi-
dence at St. Christopher's Residential Treatment Center, continued
receiving the support they require and are legally entitled to, instead
of returning to homes ill-equipped to address their needs.
During the 2024-2025 school year, GNC determined that, moving forward,
an affiliation with Rising Ground, Inc. would help GNC provide the best
services to its students and help GNC maintain its solid financial posi-
tion. GNC found Rising Ground's staff to be genuine, caring, responsive,
competent and collaborative. GNC believes that its students who require
residential care have benefited in so many ways from the medical,
psychological and residential treatment provided by RG staff.
This bill authorizes the partnership between GNC and Rising Ground, Inc.
and extends GNC's classification as a separate union free school
district in perpetuity.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect July 1, 2025, or the date upon which the
lease agreement for property located at 623 Blooming Grove Turnpike, in
the Town of New Windsor, County of Orange expires, whichever date occurs
first. Provided, further, that the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free
School District number 12 shall notify the legislative bill drafting
commission upon the expiration of such lease agreement in order that the
commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of
the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of
effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and
section 70-b of the public officers law.