Bill Text: NY A06579 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Requires the commissioner to establish Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history and civic impact curriculum or instructions for school districts.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 23-2)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to education [A06579 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A06579-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6579

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     April 19, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. LEE -- read once and referred to the Committee on
          Education

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law, in relation to requiring public
          elementary schools and high schools to provide  instruction  in  Asian
          American history and civic impact

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  801-b
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 801-b. Curricular materials of study in Asian American, Native Hawa-
     4  iian,  and  Pacific  Islander  history and civic impact. 1. The board of
     5  regents is authorized and directed to identify and integrate  curricular
     6  material  that  reflects  Asian  American,  Native Hawaiian, and Pacific
     7  Islander history. Such material of  study  shall  be  required  for  all
     8  students  in each grade of every public elementary school, public middle
     9  school and public high school and should be  included  as  part  of  the
    10  history  or social studies curriculum of such schools. Instruction shall
    11  be provided by the  teachers  employed  in  the  schools  therein.  Such
    12  instruction  shall  include, but shall not be limited to, instruction in
    13  the following:
    14    a. The history of diaspora of Asian Americans, Native  Hawaiians,  and
    15  Pacific Islanders in New York and the Northeast;
    16    b. The movements and policies that impacted the Asian American, Native
    17  Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community in the United States;
    18    c.  The contributions made by the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and
    19  Pacific  Islander  communities  in  government,  the  arts,  humanities,
    20  science  and the economic, cultural, social and political development of
    21  the United States;
    22    d. The structures and historical events that have  limited  or  harmed
    23  the  Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other histor-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06038-02-3
        A. 6579                             2

     1  ically marginalized communities especially as it pertains to  the  civil
     2  rights movement; and
     3    e.  The  solidarity  between  Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific
     4  Islander and other historically marginalized communities  especially  as
     5  it pertains to the civil rights movement.
     6    2.  The  commissioner, shall provide technical assistance to assist in
     7  the development and integration of curricular materials for such courses
     8  of study which shall be age appropriate and developed according  to  the
     9  needs  and  abilities of students at successive grade levels in order to
    10  provide understanding, awareness, skills, information and support to aid
    11  in the knowledge of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific  Islan-
    12  der history and civic impact.
    13    3.  The  commissioner  shall  make  available to all public elementary
    14  schools, middle schools and high schools in the state  suitable  curric-
    15  ulum  materials to aid in the instruction of students in Asian American,
    16  Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history and civic impact and shall
    17  promulgate rules and regulations governing such courses of study.
    18    4. Completion of a history or social studies  course  that  integrates
    19  Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander curricular materi-
    20  al  shall  constitute  an affirmation by students of their commitment to
    21  respect the dignity of all races and peoples and to forever eschew every
    22  form of discrimination in their lives and careers.
    23    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
    24  the date on which it shall have become a law.