New York Laws
Article 17 - Instruction in Certain Subjects
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.