Assembly Bill A1988

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  1988

                       2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            January 12, 2011
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M. of A. SCHROEDER, WEISENBERG, KELLNER, ABBATE, TITONE,
  CUSICK, MAGEE, BARRON, SPANO, MENG, ENGLEBRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored  by
  --  M. of A. BRENNAN, BURLING, COOK, DUPREY, FINCH, GABRYSZAK, GIGLIO,
  MAYERSOHN, PEOPLES-STOKES, PHEFFER, RAIA,  SWEENEY,  TOBACCO  --  read
  once and referred to the Committee on Education

AN  ACT  to  amend  the education law, in relation to instruction on the
  history of people with disabilities

  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 chapter 574 of the laws of 1997, 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, and human rights issues, with particular atten-
tion  to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery (including the
freedom trail and underground railroad), the  Holocaust,  and  the  mass
starvation  in Ireland from 1845 to 1850, AND THE HISTORY OF PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES, TO BE CONCENTRATED DURING, BUT NOT LIMITED  TO  THE  THIRD
FULL  WEEK  OF OCTOBER, 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

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD01984-01-1
              

A. 1988                             2

established and maintained in a private school, attendance upon instruc-
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,  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, THE HISTORY  OF  PEOPLE  WITH  DISABILITIES,  TO  BE  CONCENTRATED
DURING,  BUT  NOT  LIMITED TO THE THIRD FULL WEEK OF OCTOBER, and in the
history, meaning, significance and  effect  of  the  provisions  of  the
constitution  of the United States, the amendments thereto, the declara-
tion 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  instruction  to  be  given  in  such
subjects. The commissioner may, in his OR HER 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 IN
THIS SECTION.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.