Requires the commissioner to establish Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history and civic impact curriculum or instructions for school districts.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5963--A
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 23, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sens. LIU, CHU, COONEY, THOMAS, GOUNARDES, KAVANAGH,
STAVISKY, ADDABBO, BAILEY, CLEARE, COMRIE, FELDER, GIANARIS, GONZALEZ,
HOYLMAN-SIGAL, JACKSON, KENNEDY, RAMOS, RIVERA, SALAZAR, SANDERS --
read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
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. Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander histo-
4 ry and civic impact curriculum or instruction. 1. The commissioner shall
5 establish Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
6 history and civic impact curriculum or instruction for school districts.
7 The contents shall be age appropriate and shall be developed according
8 to the needs and abilities of students at successive grade levels to
9 provide robust Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
10 history and civic impact instruction. The contents shall include, but
11 shall not be limited to, instruction in the following:
12 a. The history of diaspora of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and
13 Pacific Islanders in New York and the Northeast;
14 b. The movements and policies that impacted the Asian American, Native
15 Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community in the United States;
16 c. The contributions made by the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and
17 Pacific Islander communities in government, the arts, humanities,
18 science and the economic, cultural, social and political development of
19 the United States;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06038-03-3
S. 5963--A 2
1 d. The structures and historical events that have limited or harmed
2 the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other histor-
3 ically marginalized communities especially as it pertains to the civil
4 rights movement; and
5 e. The solidarity between Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific
6 Islander and other historically marginalized communities especially as
7 it pertains to the civil rights movement.
8 2. Schools may include the above materials as components of its
9 history or social studies curriculum, or any other way the school deems
10 appropriate.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
12 the date on which it shall have become a law.
