S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3966
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 30, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. LAVINE, GLICK, SIMONE -- read once and referred
   to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring  instruction
   on the January 6th, 2021 insurrection at the United States capitol and
   its aftermath
 
   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),  the Holocaust, [and] the mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to
 1850, AND THE JANUARY SIXTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE INSURRECTION AT THE
 UNITED STATES CAPITOL AND ITS AFTERMATH, 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-

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07826-01-5
              

 A. 3966                             2
 
 tion in such school shall not  be  deemed  substantially  equivalent  to
 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 rail-
 road), the Holocaust, [and] the mass starvation in Ireland from 1845  to
 1850, AND THE JANUARY SIXTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE INSURRECTION AT THE
 UNITED  STATES  CAPITOL  AND ITS AFTERMATH, 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  respon-
 sible  for  the  enforcement  of  such  section  and  shall  cause to be
 inspected and supervise the instruction to be given  in  such  subjects.
 The  commissioner may, in [his] THEIR 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 on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.