Although the window for filing lawsuits under the Child Victims Act (CVA) closed over four years ago, thousands of cases remain pending in courts throughout New York State.
Many of those cases involve public school districts.
On November 21, 2025, the Governor of New York signed Senate Bill S6372 into law, amending New York’s Local Finance Law to allow school districts to issue bonds for up to 30 years to pay for judgments or settlements arising from lawsuits brought under the CVA. The amendment took effect immediately. Prior to this change, school districts were limited to issuing bonds with a maximum term of 15 years.
The amendment’s purpose, per the bill’s summary, is “to give school districts more flexibility in paying out judgements or settlement claims that result from CVA cases.” The CVA cases against schools often involve decades old claims involving now-deceased or departed staff members and administrators. The amendment seeks to provide school districts with the ability to pay CVA judgments and settlements without adversely impacting school budgets for current students.
During the CVA’s look-back window, which ran from August 2019 to August 2021, approximately 11,000 claims were filed. About 13.4% of those claims named a public or non-public school as a defendant.
The ability to issue 30-year bonds offers school districts a valuable financing tool when confronting a judgment or settlement, particularly when insurance coverage is unavailable. School districts facing judgments or settlements in CVA matters should evaluate whether this new ability to issue 30-year bonds could serve as a practical means to cover current or anticipated liabilities from pending CVA matters. Additionally, this expanded bonding option may be beneficial for school districts that wish to engage in settlement discussions in CVA cases but currently lack sufficient funds to pay a potential settlement amount.
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