NY A05535

Authorizes and directs the Northport-East Northport union free school district to establish a peer mentoring pilot program at Northport High School.

Requires the district to conduct preparatory work before the 2023-2024 school year, including reviewing existing mentoring models, developing recruitment and screening tools, creating training materials, and establishing evaluation methods.

Mandates implementation of the peer mentoring program during the 2023-2024 school year, including 2-hour staff training, mentor onboarding, continuous support sessions, and a relationship mapping exercise to ensure all students have meaningful adult-youth relationships.

Requires the district to assess the program after 2023-2024, promote it to state-wide partners, advocate for continued funding, and submit a report to the governor and legislative leadership by August 31, 2024.

Expires and repeals automatically on January 1, 2025.