Bill Text: CA AB1703 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: California Indian Education Act: California Indian Education Task Forces.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-1)
Status: (Passed) 2022-09-23 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 477, Statutes of 2022. [AB1703 Detail]
Download: California-2021-AB1703-Chaptered.html
Assembly Bill
No. 1703
CHAPTER 477
An act to add Article 7 (commencing with Section 33390) to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to California Indian education.
[
Approved by
Governor
September 23, 2022.
Filed with
Secretary of State
September 23, 2022.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1703, Ramos.
California Indian Education Act: California Indian Education Task Forces.
Existing law provides for the establishment of California American Indian education centers by any tribal group or incorporated American Indian association to meet specified objectives, and further provides for the administration of grants, upon application, by the State Department of Education for those purposes in accordance with specified provisions. Existing law requires each center to annually submit specified data to the department that reflects each center’s ability to meet its stated objectives and any other objectives chosen by the center.
Existing law requires the department to enter into a contract with a county office of education or a consortium of county offices of education for the purpose of developing model curriculum related to Native American studies, as provided.
This bill would
establish the California Indian Education Act and encourage school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to form California Indian Education Task Forces with California tribes local to their regions or tribes historically located in the region. The bill would encourage task force participants to discuss issues of mutual concern and to undertake certain work. The bill would require California Indian Education Task Forces to submit, within one year of formation and annually thereafter, a report of findings to the department, as provided. The bill would require the department to submit, within one year of receiving task force reports and annually thereafter, a report to certain education committees of both houses of the Legislature regarding the narrowing of the achievement gap and the adoption of curriculum, as provided. The bill would authorize California Indian Education Task Forces to submit curricular materials to the county office of education, or consortium of county offices of
education, that contracted to develop the model curricula related to Native American studies. The bill would require the contracted county office of education, or consortium of county offices of education, to consider these submitted materials for inclusion in the model curriculum. To the extent that this bill imposes new duties on the county office of education, or consortium of county offices of education, that contracted to develop the model curriculum, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the
statutory provisions noted above.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Article 7 (commencing with Section 33390) is added to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:Article 7. California Indian Education Act
33390.
This article shall be known, and may be cited as, the California Indian Education Act.33391.
(a) The Legislature encourages local educational agencies to form California Indian Education Task Forces with California Indian tribe’s local to their region or tribes historically located in the region. Participants in these meetings are encouraged to discuss issues of mutual concern and to work to do all of the following:(1) Develop a thorough, shared understanding of accurate, high-quality curricular materials about the history, culture, and government of local tribes, and develop curricular materials for use within local educational agencies that include tribal experiences and perspectives and teach about the history, culture, and government of local tribes.
(2) Develop a
shared understanding of proper or improper instructional material when these materials use depictions of Native Americans.
(3) Encourage local educational agencies to adopt curriculum developed by the California Indian Education Task Forces, in order to ensure that all pupils learn about the history, culture, government, and experiences of their Indian peers and neighbors, and to ensure that Indian pupils are more engaged and learn more successfully.
(4) Identify the extent and nature of the achievement gap between Indian pupils and other pupils, and identify the strategies necessary to close it.
(b) California Indian Education Task Forces shall submit, within one year of formation and annually thereafter, a report of findings to the department, including a finding on the progress of the work described in paragraphs
(1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (a).
(c) The department shall submit, within one year of receiving task force reports pursuant to subdivision (b) and annually thereafter, a report to the Senate Education Committee and the Assembly Committee on Education regarding the progress made in the narrowing of the achievement gap, and the identification and adoption of curriculum regarding tribal history, culture, and government. The report shall include information about any obstacles encountered, and any strategies under development to overcome those obstacles.
(d) California Indian Education Task Forces may submit curricular materials developed pursuant to subdivision (a) to the county office of education, or consortium of county offices of education, that has contracted to develop a model curriculum related to Native American studies pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section
51226.9. The county office of education, or consortium of county offices of education, shall consider these submitted materials for inclusion in the model curriculum.
(e) For purposes of this article, “local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
