Title 19 Part 196

Individuals desiring to satisfy the education requirements to become licensed security or fire alarm system installers must satisfactorily complete five courses prescribed by section 196.8 of this Part identified as: Module 1, Module 2, Module 3, Module 4 and Module 5. Module 1, Module 2, Module 3 and Module 4 will consist of a program of 15 classroom hours. Module 5 will consist of a program of 21 classroom hours.

The criteria for determining acceptance of courses completed prior to January 1, 1993 shall be that the course or courses have substantially covered the same subject matter, classroom hours of attendance and completed standards as prescribed by the regulations as a prerequisite of licensing. Applications for past course evaluation shall be accompanied by an official transcript or other documentation showing the subjects taken and hours of instruction devoted to each subject and the hours attended by said applicant together with the date completed. The department may request additional supportive documentation to determine course equivalency. Equivalency credit will be granted in 15 hour segments for courses deemed by the department as equivalent to Module 1, Module 2, Module 3 and Module 4. Equivalency credit will be granted in 21 hour segments for courses deemed by the department as equivalent to Module 5. If an applicant receives partial credit towards the 81 hour education requirement, the applicant may choose any of the five approved modules to complete the requirement.

In order to be credited towards the education requirement, courses completed on or after January 1, 1993 must be approved by the Department of State as to method and content.

Security or fire alarm system installer course offerings may be presented for department approval: by a school duly licensed pursuant to the Education Law or approved by the Board of Regents as a school qualified to instruct students in the field of security or fire alarm systems; or by an industry sponsored training program. No person or entity applying for course approval may use a trade or corporate name which, in the opinion of the Department of State, may be misleading or cause confusion to members of the public. Each approved entity must provide the Department of State with the identity of an education coordinator who will be responsible for compliance with the regulations.

Correspondence courses containing the same subject matter and requiring substantially the same assignment work can be approved for individuals who by reason of hardship cannot physically attend a classroom setting. A hardship case is defined to include any individual who, by reason of a permanent physical disability, cannot attend the location where classes are conducted. Any individual desiring to complete the required educational courses by means of correspondence courses shall make a request in writing to the Bureau of Educational Standards of the Division of Licensing Services, setting forth the basis of the alleged hardship. The department shall require said request to be supported by statements of doctors and/or other persons having knowledge of the facts.

Correspondence courses containing the same subject matter and requiring substantially the same assignment work as described in section 196.8 of this Part may be presented for prior approval to the Bureau of Educational Standards of the Division of Licensing Services. An organization submitting an application for such consideration will be required to provide a full, concise and acceptable method as to how the final examinations will be conducted and submit the textbooks that will be used in the course.

Applications for consideration for approval to conduct courses of study in the security or fire alarm system installer field to be given to satisfy the requirements for licensure covering the subjects described in section 196.8 of this Part shall be made 60 days before the proposed course is to be conducted and on a form prescribed by the department which shall include the following:

To meet the minimum statutory requirement, attendance shall be computed on the basis of an hour equaling 50 minutes. The instruction periods may be longer than 50 minutes. Course offerings must include a break in instruction of 10 minutes for every hour of instruction. The time of the breaks shall be left to the discretion of the individual education coordinators, but shall not be considered optional, nor may they be used to release the class earlier than scheduled.

To satisfactorily complete any course offered for study for the completion of Module 1, Module 2, Module 3 or Module 4, a person must physically attend 12 hours of each 15 hour course offering, exclusive of sessions devoted to examinations. To satisfactorily complete any course offered for study for the completion of Module 5, a person must physically attend 18 hours of each 21 hour course offering, exclusive of sessions devoted to examinations. Final examinations may not be presented to any students who have not completed the attendance requirements. Attendance records for all students enrolled in approved courses must be retained for a minimum of two years from the date such courses were completed.

A certificate of successful completion, approved by the department, for the security or fire alarm system installer course of study, approved by the department, shall be issued to a person who completes same when he or she shall have attended the required aggregate number of hours of such course of study, provided such student shall have also received a passing mark in the examinations for all subjects given. The certificate must indicate the name of approved entity, the name of course that has been completed, that the student's attendance record was satisfactory and in conformity with the law, and that such course was completed on a stated date.

Each course shall be conducted in such premises and in such facilities as shall be necessary to properly present the course. The sponsor must provide a certificate of occupancy, and fire and health permits for the specific facility to be used and must attest that the facility is in full compliance with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

All persons and organizations conducting approved courses of study shall retain examination papers for persons attending for a period of two years after the completion thereof, and such papers shall at all time during such period be available for inspection by duly authorized representatives of the department.

There shall be no change or alteration in any approved course of study of any subject or in any instruction staff without prior written notice to and approval by the department.

A duly authorized designee of the department may audit any course offered, and may verify attendance and inspect the records of attendance of the course at any time during its presentation or thereafter.

Within 60 days after the receipt of the application for approval, the department shall inform the entity as to the status of the application or whether additional information is needed to determine the acceptability of the offering. The department may deny, suspend, or revoke the approval of a course, instructor, or location, if it is determined that they are not in compliance with the law and rules, or if the offering does not adequately reflect and present current installer knowledge. If disciplinary action is taken, a written order of suspension, revocation or denial of approval will be issued. Anyone who objects to such denial, suspension or revocation shall have the opportunity to appeal to the Secretary of State or designee.

All courses approved pursuant to this Part shall be open to all members of the public regardless of the membership of the prospective student in any professional society or organization.

The Department of State may revoke approval of any course or deny the renewal of any course:

Any educational institution or other organization offering approved courses may not make or publish any false or misleading statement regarding employment opportunities which may be available as a result of the successful completion of a course or acquisition of a license.

Educational institutions or other organizations offering approved courses or employees of such institutions or organizations are prohibited from any recruitment activities which may result in the offering of employment of students. No recruitment activities for employment are to be allowed by the education coordinators whatsoever.

A sponsor which requests approval of courses from the department must provide its policy relating to course cancellation and tuition refunds to its students prior to the acceptance of any fees from that student.

An individual who wishes to teach Department of State approved security or fire alarm system installer courses must provide evidence of having obtained a New York State security or fire alarm system installer license or provide evidence of having obtained a passing grade on the New York State security or fire alarm system installer examination.