Workplace Violence Prevention Law

Recent amendments to the Workplace Violence Prevention Law extend coverage to charter schools, as well as all other public schools.  The amendments became effective on January 4, 2024 and charter schools must comply with the following deadlines:

February 3, 2024: Develop and post, where employee notices are typically posted, a written policy statement about the employer’s workplace violence prevention goals, objectives, and incident alert and notification policies and provide for full employee participation through an authorized employee representative.

March 4, 2024: Conduct a risk evaluation to determine risk factors including evaluation of records, policies, and the physical workplace(s).

March 19, 2024: For employers with 20 or more full-time permanent employees, develop and implement a written workplace violence prevention program with participation of the authorized employee representative.  The program must detail the risks identified in the evaluation and how the employer will address those risks.  It must also include a system to report any incidents of workplace violence, a written outline or lesson plan for employee program training, and a plan for annual program review.

May 3, 2024: Provide initial and annual training on the measures employees can take to protect themselves, specific procedures the employer has implemented to protect employees, and, if applicable, details of the written workplace violence prevention program.  Employers must also provide initial and annual information about the requirements of the Workplace Violence Prevention Law, the risk factors in the workplace(s), and, if applicable, the location and availability of the written workplace violence prevention program.  Employers must document all workplace violence incidents and maintain those records.  Employers must also conduct an annual review of all workplace violence incidents with the authorized employee representative, or if none, a reasonable number of employees, to determine what, if any, changes need to be made to the program.

Please review NYSDOL’s guidance and templates on preventing workplace violence in public schools on its website.  We encourage schools to work with their legal representative on any questions as to implementation of these requirements.