Sec. 77.4. Funeral service schools

(a) Approval procedure.

(1) Any school offering a curriculum in funeral service education may make application for approval on a form provided by the department and shall remit the fee prescribed by law.

(2) Any school applying for approval shall supply all data necessary for a complete evaluation of its administration, curriculum, physical facilities, faculty, and such other information as the department may require.

(3) A certificate of approval shall be issued to a school maintaining standards satisfactory to the department.

(4) The department may grant full approval, provisional approval, limited approval or conditional approval.

(5) Approval shall be on a fiscal-year basis, starting April 1st of each year and terminating the following March 31st. The certificate of approval issued to any school by the department during a fiscal year shall expire at the end of that fiscal year. Application for renewal of approval in any year shall be made not later than 60 days prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year. Each school shall remit with the renewal application such fee as is prescribed by law.

(6) The department may, in lieu of the approval procedures contained in paragraphs (1)-(3) and (5) of this subdivision, accept the certification of accreditation issued by an accrediting organization recognized by the department, or the department may conduct its own examination and evaluation to determine the degree of compliance by the school of the rules, regulations and standards of the accrediting agency.

(7) Approval of a school for funeral service education may be withdrawn by the department for any violation of this Part or of the provisions of the Public Health Law or other statutes pertaining to funeral directing, or the rules, regulations and standards of the accrediting agency. When charges of violation are brought to the attention of the department, the affected school shall be notified in writing of the alleged violations, and shall be given an opportunity to be heard on the charges. If, after hearing, the school shall be found guilty of the violations, the certificate of approval may be withdrawn by order of the commissioner served personally or by mail on the school.

(8)

(i) A school whose approval has been withdrawn shall not be eligible for a new approval until such time as the school has corrected all conditions specified in the withdrawal order.

(ii) Reports. Each approved school shall report in writing to the department the name and address of each student enrolled in the funeral service course who has expressed an intention to apply for a funeral director license in the State of New York. Upon graduation, a certification of graduation, together with a transcript of grades and attendance records, shall be forwarded by the school to the department within 20 days after graduation.

(iii) Students. A student, enrolled in the funeral service course of an approved school, who enters active service in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, may continue his academic studies, provided such student registers within one year after the date of the honorable termination of his initial term of such active service, but credit for studies prior to his entry therein shall be at the discretion of the school administrator.