New York SEL Requirements for Elementary Schools

New York's approach to social-emotional learning is layered in a way that can confuse educators looking for a simple answer to “what does my school have to do?”

The SEL benchmarks are voluntary. The mental health education mandate is not. The Dignity Act requirements are not. The character education expectations are not. And all three mandatory frameworks address skills that are functionally identical to what SEL programs teach.

The result is that New York does not mandate “SEL” by name but mandates the substance of SEL through three separate laws and then provides a voluntary SEL framework for tying it all together. Schools that treat the SEL benchmarks as optional while meeting the legal mandates separately end up doing triple the work. Schools that adopt a comprehensive SEL curriculum meet all three requirements simultaneously.

This guide explains each framework, how they intersect, and what New York elementary schools need to do to meet state expectations efficiently.

The Three Laws That Create SEL Expectations

1. Education Law Section 804: Mental Health Education (2018)

New York was the first state in the nation to mandate mental health instruction in K-12 health education. Effective July 1, 2018, Section 804 requires that all schools ensure their health education programs include instruction in mental health and its relation to physical health.^[1]

The law requires schools to address mental health awareness, the relationship between mental and physical health, understanding of mental health conditions, skills for managing emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making.^[1]

For elementary schools, this means that health education instruction must include social-emotional content. A curriculum that teaches emotional regulation, relationship skills, and decision-making satisfies Section 804 while building the broader SEL competencies students need.

2. The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA, 2012)

The Dignity Act requires every New York school to provide an environment free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying. The law mandates that each school designate a trained Dignity Act coordinator, train all staff, inform students about anti-harassment policies in age-appropriate language, and provide instruction in civility, citizenship, and character education.^[2]

The instruction requirement is the key element for SEL alignment. DASA does not just require schools to respond to bullying after it happens. It requires schools to proactively teach the skills that prevent it: civility (how to treat people with respect), citizenship (how to contribute to a community), and character education (kindness, responsibility, empathy, courage).

Schools must also report incidents to NYSED through the School Safety and Educational Climate (SSEC) system, which means that school climate data is tracked and publicly available. Schools with high incident rates face scrutiny. SEL instruction that improves school climate and reduces incidents serves both the prevention mandate and the reporting accountability.

3. Education Law §801-a: Character Education

New York Education Law also addresses character education, requiring that schools include instruction in civility, citizenship, and character traits. While less prescriptive than Section 804 or DASA, this requirement creates an additional legal basis for social-emotional and character instruction in New York elementary schools.

A curriculum that combines character education with SEL addresses this requirement alongside the other two.

NYSED's SEL Benchmarks: The Framework That Connects Everything

What the Benchmarks Are

In 2018, NYSED released SEL benchmarks developed by the School Climate and Student Engagement Workgroup of the New York State Safe Schools Task Force. The benchmarks were updated in 2022 with equity-centered revisions that align with NYSED's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Framework, the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, and the Civic Readiness Initiative.^[3]

The benchmarks are organized around three goals that map to the five CASEL competencies:

Grade-Band Indicators

Each goal includes specific indicators recommended at five developmental levels. For elementary schools, the relevant bands are K-2 (early elementary) and 3-5 (late elementary).^[3]

K-2 Indicators focus on identifying and labeling emotions, developing a positive sense of identity, practicing basic relationship skills (sharing, listening, cooperating), and understanding that choices have consequences.

3-5 Indicators increase in complexity: managing emotions using multiple strategies, demonstrating empathy and perspective-taking across difference, resolving conflicts with decreasing adult support, and making decisions that consider the well-being of self and others.

Why the Benchmarks Matter Even Though They Are Voluntary

The benchmarks are the framework that connects the three mandatory requirements. Section 804 mandates mental health instruction. DASA mandates anti-harassment instruction and character education. §801-a mandates character education. The SEL benchmarks provide the structure for meeting all three in a coherent, developmentally sequenced way rather than treating each as a separate compliance exercise.

NYSED's 2019 Guide to Systemic Whole School Implementation explicitly positions the benchmarks as the organizing framework for integrated SEL delivery.^[4] Schools that adopt the benchmarks as their SEL framework can document how a single curriculum addresses Section 804 mental health instruction, DASA prevention and character education, and §801-a character education simultaneously.

NYSED Resources for Implementation

NYSED has developed an unusually comprehensive set of implementation resources:

Funding for SEL in New York

New York offers multiple funding streams that can support SEL curriculum adoption and implementation:

For elementary schools, the practical implication is that funding exists. The challenge is not finding money but connecting your SEL curriculum expenditure to the right funding stream and documenting the alignment.

How to Align Your Elementary Program With New York's Framework

Step 1: Map to the Three Goals

Document how your instruction addresses each of NYSED's three SEL goals:

Step 2: Document Section 804 Compliance

Your SEL curriculum should address the specific domains Section 804 requires:

• •Mental health awareness: Self-awareness instruction that helps students understand emotional and mental wellbeing
• •Skills for managing emotions: Emotional regulation and self-management strategies
• •Establishing positive relationships: Relationship skills, empathy, kindness
• •Responsible decision-making: Problem-solving, ethical reasoning, goal setting

Step 3: Connect to DASA Compliance

Your DASA compliance documentation should reference how your SEL curriculum provides the proactive instruction in civility, citizenship, and character education that the Dignity Act requires. A comprehensive scope and sequence that teaches respect, empathy, and conflict resolution creates the preventive conditions DASA is designed to achieve.

Track DASA incident data alongside your SEL implementation timeline. If incidents decrease as implementation progresses, you have direct evidence that SEL instruction is supporting DASA compliance.

Step 4: Integrate With MTSS

Position your SEL curriculum within your school's MTSS framework:

Step 5: Use the NYSED Crosswalks

NYSED's district-developed crosswalks show how SEL competencies align with academic standards and classroom practices. Use these crosswalks to demonstrate that your SEL instruction integrates with, rather than competes with, academic instruction. This is particularly useful for principals and district leaders who need to justify the time allocated to SEL within the instructional schedule.

New York City Considerations

NYC operates as its own district within the New York state framework, and its scale (1,800+ schools, 1 million+ students) creates unique considerations:

• •NYC schools receive substantial Title IV-A funding ($62.9 million in 2025-26) that can be used for SEL curriculum and implementation.
• •The NYC Department of Education has developed its own SEL implementation guidance that complements state-level frameworks.
• •Community schools are a significant model in NYC, with SEL embedded as a core component.
• •NYC's diversity, with over 180 languages spoken in city schools, makes bilingual SEL access essential rather than optional.

For NYC elementary schools, the state requirements apply, but the resources, funding, and implementation infrastructure are more developed than in many other parts of the state.

Choosing a Curriculum That Meets New York's Requirements

When selecting SEL curriculum for your New York school, verify that the program:

• •Addresses all three NYSED goals. Self-awareness and self-management, social awareness and relationships, and responsible decision-making should all be covered with grade-differentiated content.
• •Satisfies Section 804. The curriculum should explicitly address managing emotions, positive relationships, and responsible decision-making.
• •Supports DASA prevention. Instruction in civility, respect, empathy, and conflict resolution creates the school climate DASA is designed to protect.
• •Provides a full-year scope and sequence. A 40-week curriculum aligns with the sustained instruction the benchmarks assume.
• •Offers bilingual access. New York serves a significant multilingual population. English and Spanish access at minimum supports equitable participation.
• •Aligns with the 2022 equity revisions. Curriculum that reflects diverse characters, scenarios, and cultural perspectives aligns with NYSED's current direction.
• •Connects to school safety. DASA connects school climate directly to student safety. Curriculum that bridges SEL and safety instruction addresses both frameworks.
• •Produces documentable outcomes. DASA incident reporting, Section 804 compliance, and school climate data all require evidence.

What to Avoid

Final Thoughts

New York's SEL landscape can feel overwhelming: three separate laws, voluntary benchmarks, equity revisions, crosswalks, implementation guides, and multiple funding streams. But the underlying message is simple. New York expects schools to teach students to understand and manage their emotions, treat each other with dignity, and make responsible decisions. The state provides the framework, the benchmarks, the legal authority, and the funding. Districts choose the curriculum.

For New York elementary schools, the most efficient path is a single CASEL-aligned curriculum that satisfies Section 804 (mental health education), supports DASA compliance (civility, character, prevention), meets §801-a requirements (character education), aligns with NYSED's SEL benchmarks (three goals, grade-band indicators), and delivers sustained, weekly instruction across the full school year. One curriculum. Multiple mandates. One coherent program for students.

References

1. [1] New York State Education Law, Section 804. Mental health education. https://osc.ny.gov/state-agencies/audits/2024/05/08/mental-health-education-supports-and-services-schools-follow
2. [2] New York State Education Department. (n.d.). The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). https://www.nysed.gov/student-support-services/dignity-all-students-act-dasa
3. [3] New York State Education Department. (2022). Social emotional learning benchmarks: Equity-centered revisions. https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/student-support-services/sel-benchmarks.pdf
4. [4] New York State Education Department. (2019). Social emotional learning: A guide to systemic whole school implementation. https://www.nysed.gov/student-support-services/sel
5. [5] New York State Education Department. (2018). Social emotional learning: Essential for learning, essential for life. https://www.nysed.gov/student-support-services/sel
6. [6] New York State Education Department. (2019). SEL activities and teaching practices crosswalks. https://www.nysed.gov/student-support-services/sel
7. [7] Ori Learning. (2026). New York SEL curriculum for schools. https://orilearning.com/new-york-sel-curriculum/
8. [8] Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
9. [9] Cipriano, C., Strambler, M. J., Naples, L. H., et al. (2023). The state of evidence for social and emotional learning: A contemporary meta-analysis of universal school-based SEL interventions. Child Development, 94(5), 1181-1204. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13968

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