S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5210
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 12, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. REILLY -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Education
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the education law, in relation to including the Sandy
   Ground community in the education curriculum
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 801 of the education law,
 as amended by section 27 of part A of chapter 56 of the  laws  of  2020,
 are amended to read as follows:
   1.  In  order  to  promote a spirit of patriotic and civic service and
 obligation and to foster in the children of the state moral  and  intel-
 lectual  qualities  which  are  essential in preparing to meet the obli-
 gations of citizenship in peace or in war, the regents of The University
 of the State of New York  shall  prescribe  courses  of  instruction  in
 patriotism,  citizenship, civic education and values, our shared history
 of diversity, the role of religious tolerance in this country, and human
 rights issues, with particular attention to the study of the  inhumanity
 of  genocide, slavery (including the freedom trail and underground rail-
 road), STATEN ISLAND'S SANDY GROUND COMMUNITY, THE  OLDEST  CONTINUOUSLY
 INHABITED FREE BLACK SETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES, the Holocaust, and
 the  mass  starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1850, to be maintained and
 followed in all the schools of the state. The boards  of  education  and
 trustees  of  the several cities and school districts of the state shall
 require instruction to  be  given  in  such  courses,  by  the  teachers
 employed in the schools therein. All pupils attending such schools, over
 the age of eight years, shall attend upon such instruction.
   Similar  courses  of instruction shall be prescribed and maintained in
 private schools in the state, and all pupils in such schools over  eight
 years  of age shall attend upon such courses. If such courses are not so
 established and maintained in a private school, attendance upon instruc-
 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.
              

                                                            LBD08938-01-1

 A. 5210                             2
 
 instruction  given  to  pupils  of like age in the public schools of the
 city or district in which such pupils reside.
   3.  The  regents  shall  determine the subjects to be included in such
 courses of instruction in patriotism, citizenship, civic  education  and
 values, our shared history of diversity, the role of history of diversi-
 ty,  the  role  of religious tolerance in this country, and human rights
 issues, with particular attention to the  study  of  the  inhumanity  of
 genocide,   slavery   (including   the  freedom  trail  and  underground
 railroad), STATEN ISLAND'S SANDY GROUND COMMUNITY,  THE  OLDEST  CONTIN-
 UOUSLY  INHABITED  FREE BLACK SETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES, the Holo-
 caust,   and   the   mass    starvation    in    Ireland    from    1845
 to  1850,  and  in  the history, meaning, significance and effect of the
 provisions of the constitution of  the  United  States,  the  amendments
 thereto,  the declaration of independence, the constitution of the state
 of New York and the amendments thereto, and the period of instruction in
 each of the grades in such subjects. They shall  adopt  rules  providing
 for  attendance  upon such instruction and for such other matters as are
 required for carrying into effect  the  objects  and  purposes  of  this
 section.  The  commissioner  shall be responsible for the enforcement of
 such section and shall cause to be inspected and supervise the  instruc-
 tion  to  be  given  in  such  subjects.  The  commissioner  may, in his
 discretion, cause all or a portion of the  public  school  money  to  be
 apportioned  to  a  district  or  city to be withheld for failure of the
 school authorities of such district or city to  provide  instruction  in
 such  courses  and to compel attendance upon such instruction, as herein
 prescribed, and for a non-compliance  with  the  rules  of  the  regents
 adopted as herein provided.
   § 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.