Bill Text: NY S04951 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires instruction in civic education for grades 5 through 12 including instruction on the NYS constitution; federal, state and local government; civic literacy; methods of public participation; and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S04951 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S04951-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4951

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 17, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. JACKSON, MAY, RAMOS -- read twice and ordered print-
          ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring civic educa-
          tion courses for grades five through twelve

          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 817 to
     2  read as follows:
     3    § 817. Instruction in  civic  education.  1.  The  commissioner  shall
     4  establish a curriculum for instruction in civic education in all schools
     5  providing  instruction  to students in grades five through twelve. Local
     6  boards of education and the chancellor of the board of education of  the
     7  city of New York may adopt their own curriculum upon the approval of the
     8  commissioner.
     9    2.  Such  instruction  shall  include,  but  shall  not be limited to,
    10  instruction on the New York state constitution; federal, state and local
    11  government; civic literacy; methods of  public  participation;  and  the
    12  rights  and  responsibilities of citizenship. Such curriculum shall have
    13  an experiential, simulation, and project-based approach,  including  but
    14  not  limited  to, mock trials; moot court; opportunities to identify and
    15  debate issues relative to power, economic status and the common good  in
    16  democracy, advocacy, and community organizing; simulation based legisla-
    17  tive  hearings; and other role playing exercises that engage students in
    18  the democratic process and that teach them  how  to  be  informed  civic
    19  actors in their communities.
    20    3.  The  boards  of  education  and trustees of the several cities and
    21  school districts of the state shall require instruction to be  given  in
    22  such course, by the teachers employed in the school therein.
    23    4.  The  commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations outlining
    24  the training of teachers providing such civic education instruction  and
    25  materials to be provided for such instruction. The board of education or

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01970-01-3
        S. 4951                             2

     1  trustees of every school district shall provide appropriate training and
     2  curriculum materials, as promulgated by the commissioner, to such teach-
     3  ers.
     4    § 2. This act shall take effect two years after it shall have become a
     5  law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any
     6  rule  or  regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its
     7  effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
     8  effective date.