Directs the board of regents to prescribe courses of instruction in the aging process, issues related to aging, understanding and planning for long-term care, and intergenerational programming.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2151
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 15, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, LIFTON, LUPARDO, ARROYO -- read once
and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to courses of instruction
in the aging process, issues related to aging, understanding and plan-
ning for long-term care and intergenerational programming
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative intent. America's future is in the hands of
2 today's youth who, as adults, will face a challenge unique to the histo-
3 ry of mankind: a "graying society". Today's youth will need to become
4 educated and prepare to care for aging parents at an increasing personal
5 cost, understand and invest in long-term care health insurance as part
6 of their own long-range family planning, develop healthy lifestyles to
7 ensure their own successful aging, and work to eliminate negative views
8 about aging. Despite the "graying" of our society, children at all grade
9 levels have negative images of older people. This is reiterated in
10 AARP's Images in America (1995), which included a national random sample
11 of teens and a survey of children ages 6-11. This study showed that
12 children form negative stereotypes about the elderly at a very early
13 age. This should not be surprising given the media's portrayal of older
14 adults as well as the disconnect between the generations. Children
15 perceive growing older as a process of decline, without potential for
16 growth and fulfillment. Images of aging as depicted in children's draw-
17 ings emphasize disabilities, isolation and dependency. Missing from
18 children's images is the vision of physical and mental wellness in later
19 life, involvement with others, independent living, productivity and
20 connection with the larger community. Despite the knowledge of chil-
21 dren's negative attitudes about older people, very little is being done
22 to prepare our youth to meet these challenges, and most high school
23 graduates receive little information on the physiological, social,
24 psychological or economic effects of aging. Several researchers have
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06819-01-5
A. 2151 2
1 found that when schools have initiated programs at different grade
2 levels to teach about aging, the results have been very positive on how
3 children view older people and the aging. In addition, interactions with
4 older people were found to be a factor in forming positive images of the
5 elderly and reducing stereotyping. Furthermore, this knowledge will
6 enable students to better prepare themselves for planning for their own
7 retirement and long-term care needs. For all of these reasons, the
8 legislature is prescribing the inclusion of instruction on the aging
9 process, issues related to aging, understanding and planning for long-
10 term care and intergenerational programming in the New York state school
11 curriculum.
12 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to
13 read as follows:
14 § 804-e. Courses of instruction in the aging process, issues related
15 to aging, understanding and planning for long-term care, and intergener-
16 ational programming. 1. a. The regents shall prescribe courses of
17 instruction on the aging process, issues related to aging, understanding
18 and planning for long-term care, and intergenerational programming to be
19 maintained and followed in all the secondary schools of the state. The
20 boards of education and trustees of the several school districts of the
21 state shall require instruction to be given in such courses by the
22 teachers employed in the secondary schools therein. All pupils attending
23 such secondary schools shall attend upon such instruction.
24 b. Similar courses of instruction shall be prescribed and maintained
25 in private secondary schools in the state, and all pupils in such
26 secondary schools shall attend upon such courses. If such courses are
27 not so established and maintained in a private secondary school, attend-
28 ance upon instruction in such secondary school shall not be deemed
29 substantially equivalent to instruction given to pupils of like age in
30 the public secondary schools of the school district in which such pupils
31 reside.
32 2. The regents, in consultation with the state office for the aging
33 shall determine the subjects, topics and programming to be included in
34 such courses of instruction on the aging process, issues related to
35 aging, understanding and planning for long-term care, and intergenera-
36 tional programming, in addition to the period of instruction in each of
37 the secondary grades in such subjects, topics and programming. Inter-
38 generational programming may include but not be limited to utilizing
39 senior citizen volunteers to mentor students and teach lessons, engaging
40 students in intergenerational service learning projects, congregate or
41 home delivered meals programs, and nursing home visits.
42 3. The regents shall adopt rules providing for attendance upon such
43 instruction and for such other matters as are required for carrying into
44 effect the objects and purposes of this section. The commissioner shall
45 be responsible for the enforcement of this section and shall cause to be
46 inspected and supervise the instruction to be given in such subjects and
47 topics. The commissioner may, in his or her discretion, cause all or a
48 portion of the public school money to be apportioned to a school
49 district to be withheld for failure of the school authorities of such
50 district to provide instruction in such courses and to compel attendance
51 upon such instruction, as prescribed in this section, and for a non-com-
52 pliance with the rules of the regents adopted as provided in this
53 section.
54 § 3. Paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the education law
55 is amended by adding a new subparagraph 10 to read as follows:
A. 2151 3
1 (10) In formulating the curriculum for each college and university of
2 the state university, the board of trustees shall require and include
3 instruction in the aging process, issues related to aging, understanding
4 and planning for long-term care, and intergenerational programming. The
5 board of trustees, in consultation with the state office for the aging,
6 shall further establish and distribute guidelines, pertaining to such
7 instruction, including credit hours, to the president of each college
8 and university of the state university.
9 § 4. Section 6206 of the education law is amended by adding a new
10 subdivision 18 to read as follows:
11 18. In formulating the curriculum for each college of the city univer-
12 sity, the board of trustees shall require and include instruction in the
13 aging process, issues related to aging, understanding and planning for
14 long-term care, and intergenerational programming. The board of trus-
15 tees, in consultation with the state office for the aging, shall further
16 establish and distribute guidelines, pertaining to such instruction,
17 including credit hours, to the president of each college of the city
18 university.
19 § 5. This act shall take effect on the first of September next
20 succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
