Bill Text: CA SB1363 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 1363 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Adopted course of study: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-06-06 - From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED. [SB1363 Detail]

Download: California-2021-SB1363-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly June 06, 2022

Amended IN Senate March 16, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 1363

Introduced by Senator Nielsen
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Choi and Cooper)
(Coauthors: Senators Cortese, Dodd, and Rubio)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Chen, Cooley, Fong, Gray, McCarty, and Nguyen)

February 18, 2022

An act to amend Sections 51210 and 51220 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1363, as amended, Nielsen. Adopted course of study: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, and the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to include certain areas of study, including, among others, English, mathematics, social sciences, science, and visual and performing arts, as specified.

This bill, with respect to both of the above-referenced adopted courses of study, would encourage the instruction in the social sciences area of study to include Asian American and Pacific Islander individual and community contributions, as provided.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the inclusion of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the instruction of the areas of study in grades 1 to 12, inclusive, is of high importance.

SEC. 2.

Section 51210 of the Education Code is amended to read:

51210.

(a) The adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, shall include instruction, beginning in grade 1 and continuing through grade 6, in the following areas of study:

(1) English, including knowledge of, and appreciation for literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition.

(2) Mathematics, including concepts, operational skills, and problem solving.

(3) (A) Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; the development of the American economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; contemporary issues; and the wise use of natural resources.

(B) The Legislature encourages the instruction described in this paragraph to include all of the following:

(i) Individual Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in curriculum that highlights American legends, heroes, and contributors to the building of the United States’ democracy, society, government, the arts, humanities, sciences, education, economy, and culture.

(ii) Asian American and Pacific Islander individual and community contributions to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States.

(4) Science, including the biological and physical aspects, with emphasis on the processes of experimental inquiry and on the place of humans in ecological systems.

(5) Visual and performing arts, including instruction in the subjects of dance, music, ~~theater~~ theater, and visual arts, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.

(6) Health, including instruction in the principles and practices of individual, family, and community health.

(7) Physical education, with emphasis upon the physical activities for the pupils that may be conducive to health and vigor of body and mind, for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each 10 schooldays, excluding recesses and the lunch period.

(8) Other studies that the governing board may prescribe.

(b) (1) A complaint that a school district or county superintendent of schools has not complied with the instructional minute requirements of paragraph (7) of subdivision (a) may be filed with a school district or county superintendent of schools pursuant to the Uniform Complaint Procedures set forth in Chapter 5.1 (commencing with Section 4600) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.

(2) A complainant not satisfied with the decision of a school district or county superintendent of schools may appeal the decision to the department pursuant to Chapter 5.1 (commencing with Section 4600) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations and shall receive a written appeal decision within 60 days of the department’s receipt of the appeal.

(3) If a school district or county superintendent of schools finds merit in a complaint, or the Superintendent finds merit in an appeal, the school district or county superintendent of schools shall provide a remedy to all affected pupils, parents, and guardians.

(c) The Legislature finds and declares that neither the original provisions of this section, nor any subsequent amendments to it, were intended to create a private right of action. However, nothing in this subdivision shall restrict or expand the existing right of any party to seek relief from noncompliance with this section pursuant to a writ of mandate.

SEC. 3.

Section 51220 of the Education Code is amended to read:

51220.

The adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, shall offer courses in the following areas of study:

(a) English, including knowledge of and appreciation for literature, language, and composition, and the skills of reading, listening, and speaking.

(b) (1) Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; instruction in our American legal system, the operation of the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems, and the rights and duties of citizens under the criminal and civil law and the State and Federal Constitutions; the development of the American economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; human rights issues, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust; and contemporary issues.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “genocide” may include the Armenian Genocide. The “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.

(3) The Legislature encourages the instruction described in this subdivision to include all of the following:

(A) Individual Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in curriculum that highlights American legends, heroes, and contributors to the building of the United States’ democracy, society, government, the arts, humanities, sciences, education, economy, and culture.

(B) Asian American and Pacific Islander individual and community contributions to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States.

(C) Asian American and Pacific Islander individual and community contributions and commitment toward advancing civil rights in the United States.

(D) The heroism of Japanese American soldiers during the period of internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, including, but not limited to, the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd ~~Infantry Regiment~~ Regimental Combat Team being the most decorated ~~unit~~ unit, for its size and length of service, in the history of the United ~~States.~~ States military.

(E) The hard work and resilience of approximately 20,000 Chinese immigrants who made it possible to complete the western portion of the nation’s first transcontinental rail line within the timeframe required by the Pacific Railway Act, passed by Congress in 1862.

(c) World language or languages, beginning not later than grade 7, designed to develop a facility for understanding, speaking, reading, and writing the particular language.

(d) Physical education, with emphasis given to physical activities that are conducive to health and to vigor of body and mind, as required by Section 51222.

(e) Science, including the physical and biological aspects, with emphasis on basic concepts, theories, and processes of scientific investigation and on the place of humans in ecological systems, and with appropriate applications of the interrelation and interdependence of the sciences.

(f) Mathematics, including instruction designed to develop mathematical understandings, operational skills, and insight into problem-solving procedures.

(g) Visual and performing arts, including dance, music, theater, and visual arts, with emphasis upon development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.

(h) Applied arts, including instruction in the areas of consumer education, family and consumer sciences education, industrial arts, general business education, or general agriculture.

(i) Career technical education designed and conducted for the purpose of preparing youth for gainful employment in the occupations and in the numbers that are appropriate to the personnel needs of the state and the community served and relevant to the career desires and needs of the pupils.

(j) Automobile driver education, designed to develop a knowledge of the Vehicle Code and other laws of this state relating to the operation of motor vehicles, a proper acceptance of personal responsibility in traffic, a true appreciation of the causes, seriousness, and consequences of traffic accidents, and the knowledge and attitudes necessary for the safe operation of motor vehicles. A course in automobile driver education shall include education in the safe operation of motorcycles.

(k) Other studies that the governing board may prescribe.