Senate bill · S10451 (2025-26)
Relates to requiring boards of education to allow access to attorneys for certain children
New York State Senate
Summary
Requires boards of education and school districts to allow children involved in an investigation or proceeding relating to abuse and/or neglect reasonable access to court appointed attorneys.
Summary from NY Open Legislation. How we handle summaries
Amends the Social Services Law.
From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 21, 2026. About our data
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Purpose, from the sponsor's memo
This bill requires schools to allow students involved in an investi- gation relating to allegations of abuse or neglect with reasonable private and unsupervised access to their court appointed attorneys
Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)
Where it stands
Assigned to a committee for review.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Up for a vote
- Passed one chamber
- Passed
- Enacted
Committee
Children and Families · New York State Assembly
Also referred to Children And Families · New York State Senate.
The sponsor's argument
Why Rachel May says this is needed
When children are facing neglectful or abusive situations at home, having access to meet with their attorneys is a key tool to empower them to protect their safety. Unfortunately, many attorneys and children require parental permission to meet, allowing parents to often impede access. By making it clear that schools should provide private meeting space for children and attorneys, similar what is already in place for social workers, we can ensure that our children have access to the resources they need to protect their well-being.
This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.
Full history
- May 15, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
NY Senate