S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5990
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 25, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- 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  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

 S. 5990                             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.