Bill Text: NY S05963 | 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: Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-15 - 2ND REPORT CAL. [S05963 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05963-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5963

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 23, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  LIU,  CHU,  COONEY,  THOMAS, GOUNARDES, KAVANAGH,
          STAVISKY, COMRIE, HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered printed, and
          when printed to be committed 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
        S. 5963                             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.