5009 - Duties of the commissioner. - New York Statutes

§ 5009. Duties of the commissioner. In addition to all other duties assigned in this article, the duties of the commissioner shall include, but not be limited to: (a) submitting a report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate and the minority leader of the assembly beginning the fifteenth day of January after this section shall have become effective, and annually thereafter on that date, on the implementation and enforcement of this article, which shall include but not be limited to (i) curriculum approval and reapproval standards, (ii) student complaints, (iii) the resolution of disciplinary actions brought by the department or other appropriate state agency, (iv) the audited financial statements submitted by the schools, (v) tuition reimbursement account activity, (vi) data regarding retention and completion rates for students enrolled in nondegree, appropriate degree or certificate programs of two years or less at registered business schools, licensed private schools, proprietary degree-granting schools and independent and public colleges, (vii) the extent to which the department has met the timelines mandated by this article, (viii) entrance standards, (ix) the number of schools inspected annually, and (x) the number of trust accounts imposed. (b) ensuring that up-to-date, accurate information is available to the public, via the internet and other appropriate media, regarding every duly licensed proprietary school in this state, as well as disciplinary actions decided by the state. (c) developing and issuing to duly licensed and registered proprietary schools a symbol to indicate such status; provided that such symbol shall be developed and made available to such schools no later than September thirtieth, nineteen hundred ninety-nine. (d) administering a public information campaign aimed at increasing awareness about the importance of attending licensed or registered proprietary vocational schools. Such campaign shall be targeted to populations at risk of enrolling in unlicensed or unregistered schools, and shall be conducted using means including, but not limited to, public service announcements on commercial radio and television stations, public access television, and print media. (e) providing for the orderly maintenance of any student records which may be transferred to the department pursuant to any school's plan developed pursuant to subdivision eight of section five thousand one of this article; including responding to student requests for transcripts and records within twenty days of receiving a request. The commissioner is hereby authorized to impose an appropriate fee for such transcripts pursuant to a schedule approved by the director of the budget.