Bill > S06681

This bill amends existing New York education law to explicitly include sexual harassment alongside other forms of campus violence in policies and procedures for colleges and universities. The bill requires institutions to update their definitions, reporting mechanisms, and prevention efforts to encompass sexual harassment, mirroring existing protocols for sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Specifically, the bill mandates that colleges and universities: define sexual harassment consistently with federal standards; update their codes of conduct to encourage reporting of sexual harassment without fear of disciplinary action for related conduct violations; treat sexual harassment disclosures seriously; provide clear reporting and investigative processes that protect the rights of both reporting individuals and respondents; ensure fair and impartial investigations with annual training for those conducting them; offer comprehensive student education campaigns about sexual harassment prevention; require training for student leaders, athletes, and other campus groups; and annually report sexual harassment incident data to the state education department. The goal is to create more comprehensive and supportive frameworks for addressing sexual harassment on college campuses, with an emphasis on prevention, support for survivors, and fair procedural standards.

Education

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S6681