Bill > S04669

This bill, known as the "Assuring College Campus and Educational Safety and Support (ACCESS) Act", amends existing executive law to expand protections against harassment for students and applicants at educational institutions. The bill broadens the definition of harassment to include any treatment that subjects an individual to inferior terms, conditions, or privileges based on protected characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and others, regardless of whether the harassment would traditionally be considered "severe or pervasive". The legislation requires educational institutions, particularly colleges and universities, to take specific actions to prevent and address harassment, including: promulgating anti-harassment rules, establishing reporting and investigation mechanisms, creating meaningful penalties for violations, clearly communicating policies to students and staff, consistently administering those policies, and taking reasonable measures to prevent harassment from non-affiliated individuals on campus. The bill also clarifies that a student's failure to formally complain about harassment does not absolve an institution of responsibility, and introduces an affirmative defense that allows institutions to argue that the harassment constitutes only "petty slights or trivial inconveniences". The goal is to create more comprehensive and proactive protections against discriminatory treatment in educational settings.

Education

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S4669