Bill Text: NY A03972 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to instruction on the Garifuna people.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-04-30 - enacting clause stricken [A03972 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A03972-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          3972
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 30, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. SEPULVEDA, JOYNER, WEPRIN, DAVILA, MAGEE, CRESPO,
          COOK,  JAFFEE, ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on
          Education
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation  to  instruction  on  the
          Garifuna people
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 801 of the  education  law,
     2  as  amended  by  chapter 574 of the laws of 1997, are amended to read as
     3  follows:
     4    1. In order to promote a spirit of patriotic  and  civic  service  and
     5  obligation  and  to foster in the children of the state moral and intel-
     6  lectual qualities which are essential in preparing  to  meet  the  obli-
     7  gations of citizenship in peace or in war, the regents of The University
     8  of  the  State  of  New  York  shall prescribe courses of instruction in
     9  patriotism, citizenship, and human rights issues, with particular atten-
    10  tion to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery (including  the
    11  freedom  trail  and underground railroad), the Holocaust, the history of
    12  the Garifuna people, and the mass starvation in  Ireland  from  1845  to
    13  1850, to be maintained and followed in all the schools of the state. The
    14  boards  of  education  and  trustees  of  the  several cities and school
    15  districts of the state shall require instruction to  be  given  in  such
    16  courses,  by  the  teachers  employed in the schools therein. All pupils
    17  attending such schools, over the age of eight years, shall  attend  upon
    18  such instruction.
    19    Similar  courses  of instruction shall be prescribed and maintained in
    20  private schools in the state, and all pupils in such schools over  eight
    21  years  of age shall attend upon such courses. If such courses are not so
    22  established and maintained in a private school, attendance upon instruc-
    23  tion in such school shall not  be  deemed  substantially  equivalent  to
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07372-01-7
        A. 3972                             2
     1  instruction  given  to  pupils  of like age in the public schools of the
     2  city or district in which such pupils reside.
     3    3.  The  regents  shall  determine the subjects to be included in such
     4  courses of instruction in  patriotism,  citizenship,  and  human  rights
     5  issues,  with  particular  attention  to  the study of the inhumanity of
     6  genocide, slavery (including the freedom  trail  and  underground  rail-
     7  road),  the  Holocaust, the history of the Garifuna people, and the mass
     8  starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1850, and in  the  history,  meaning,
     9  significance  and  effect  of  the provisions of the constitution of the
    10  United States, the amendments thereto, the declaration of  independence,
    11  the  constitution  of  the state of New York and the amendments thereto,
    12  and the period of instruction in each of the grades  in  such  subjects.
    13  They  shall  adopt  rules providing for attendance upon such instruction
    14  and for such other matters as are required for carrying into effect  the
    15  objects  and purposes of this section. The commissioner shall be respon-
    16  sible for the  enforcement  of  such  section  and  shall  cause  to  be
    17  inspected  and  supervise  the instruction to be given in such subjects.
    18  The commissioner may, in his discretion, cause all or a portion  of  the
    19  public  school money to be apportioned to a district or city to be with-
    20  held for failure of the school authorities of such district or  city  to
    21  provide  instruction  in such courses and to compel attendance upon such
    22  instruction, as herein prescribed, and for  a  non-compliance  with  the
    23  rules of the regents adopted as herein provided.
    24    §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
    25  the date on which it shall have become a law.