Bill Text: CA AB1354 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Pupil instruction: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-09-01 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 140, Statutes of 2023. [AB1354 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB1354-Chaptered.html
Assembly Bill
No. 1354
CHAPTER 140
An act to amend Section 51226.3 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.
[
Approved by
Governor
September 01, 2023.
Filed with
Secretary of State
September 01, 2023.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1354, Mike Fong.
Pupil instruction: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Existing law requires the State Department of Education to incorporate materials relating to civil rights, human rights violations, genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust into publications that provide examples of curriculum resources for teacher use, consistent with the subject frameworks on history and social science and other requirements. Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education.
This bill would require the commission, when the history-social science curriculum framework is next revised, to consider providing for inclusion of,
in its recommended history-social science curriculum
framework, related evaluation criteria, and accompanying instructional materials, instruction on both (1) the historical, social, economic, and political contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States and (2) examples of racism, discrimination, and violence perpetrated against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific
Islanders in the United States, as provided.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) The state has the largest population and the second highest percentage of Asian Americans in the country.
(b) According to the United States Census Bureau, Asians are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the state.
(c) The Asian American population in the state is comprised of over 20 ethnic subgroups that represent diverse countries of origin, over 50 spoken languages, histories, and cultural backgrounds.
(d) Asian Americans have made rich contributions to the history of the state and
the country and have made significant individual and community contributions to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the country.
(e) Despite these contributions, Asian Americans continue to be targets of hate, violence, and discrimination. Most recently, hate incidents and hate crimes against Asian Americans spiked dramatically and was largely driven by xenophobia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(f) Schools play an important role in teaching pupils to appreciate and understand the history of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the country.
(g) Educating pupils on the history of Asian Americans in the country can help prevent and decrease discrimination and violence perpetrated against the Asian American community.
SEC. 2.
Section 51226.3 of the Education Code is amended to read:51226.3.
(a) (1) The department shall incorporate into publications that provide examples of curriculum resources for teacher use those materials developed by publishers of nonfiction, trade books, and primary sources, or other public or private organizations, that are age appropriate and consistent with the subject frameworks on history and social science that deal with civil rights, human rights violations, genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust.(2) The Legislature encourages the department to incorporate into publications that provide examples of curriculum resources for teacher use those materials developed by publishers of nonfiction, trade books, and primary sources, or other public or private organizations, that are age appropriate and
consistent with the subject frameworks on history and social science that deal with the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides.
(b) (1) The Legislature encourages the incorporation of survivor, rescuer, liberator, and witness oral testimony into the teaching of human rights, the Holocaust, and genocide, including, but not limited to, the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides.
(2) As used in this subdivision, “oral testimony” means the firsthand accounts of significant historical events presented in a format that includes, but is not limited to, in-person testimony, video, or a multimedia option, such as a DVD or an online video.
(c) The Legislature encourages all state and local professional development activities to provide teachers with content background and resources
to assist them in teaching about civil rights, human rights violations, genocide, slavery, the Armenian Genocide, and the Holocaust.
(d) The Legislature encourages all state and local professional development activities to provide teachers with content background and resources to assist them in teaching about the Great Irish Famine of 1845–50.
(e) The Great Irish Famine of 1845–50 shall be considered in the next cycle in which the history-social science curriculum framework and its accompanying instructional materials are adopted.
(f) (1) The Legislature encourages all state and local professional development activities to provide teachers with content background and resources to assist them in teaching about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the contributions of Chinese Americans to the
establishment of the transcontinental railroad.
(2) When the state board revises and adopts the curriculum framework for history-social science on or after January 1, 2017, the state board shall consider providing for the inclusion, in that curriculum framework, evaluation criteria, and accompanying instructional materials, of instruction on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the contributions of Chinese Americans to the establishment of the transcontinental railroad.
(g) When the history-social science curriculum framework is revised as required by law, the Instructional Quality Commission shall consider including the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides in the recommended history-social science curriculum framework.
(h) The Model Curriculum for Human Rights and Genocide adopted by the state board,
pursuant to Section 51226, shall be made available to schools in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, as soon as funding is available for this purpose. In addition, the department shall make the curriculum available on its internet website.
(i) For purposes of this article, “Armenian Genocide” means the torture, starvation, and murder of 1,500,000 Armenians, which included death marches into the Syrian
Desert, by the rulers of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the exile of more than 500,000 innocent people during the period from 1915 to 1923, inclusive.
(j) When the state board revises and adopts the curriculum framework for history-social science on or after January 1, 2016, the state board shall consider providing for the inclusion, in that curriculum framework, evaluation criteria, and accompanying instructional materials, of instruction on the unconstitutional deportation to Mexico during the Great Depression of citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States.
(k) As used in subdivisions (b) and (c), “human rights” and “human rights violations” include the unconstitutional deportation to Mexico during the Great Depression of citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States.
(l) When the history-social science curriculum framework is next revised, on or after January 1, 2024, the Instructional Quality Commission shall consider providing for inclusion, in that curriculum framework, related evaluation criteria, and accompanying instructional materials, of instruction on both of the following:
(1) The historical, social, economic, and political contributions of Asian
Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
(2) Examples of racism, discrimination, and violence perpetrated against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific
Islanders in the United States, including, but not limited to, hate crimes committed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
