A bill which would give students in religious schools the same health and welfare services currently received by public school pupils was overwhelmingly passed by the New York State Assembly, and is currently being considered by the State Senate.
The legislation, which was introduced by State Senator Edward Speno and Assemblyman Arthur Hardwick, would provide students attending yeshivot and other non-public schools with assistance in such areas as psychiatry, psychology, speech therapy, social work and remedial service.
The Speno-Hardwick Bill may run into obstacles in the State Senate, however, according to the Agudath Israel of America. The organization issued a warning that the bill “may be bottled up in Senate Committee unless an alert public lets its voice be heard in Albany.” The warning indicated that the Senate leadership is under heavy pressure from the bill’s opponents and a massive counter-effort is necessary if the bill is to pass during this session of the Senate.
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