Assembly Bill A9791

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

                                  9791

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              April 8, 2016
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  SEPULVEDA  --  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:

  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, THE HISTORY OF
THE GARIFUNA PEOPLE, 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
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

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

                                                           LBD14821-01-6

A. 9791                             2

genocide,  slavery  (including  the  freedom trail and underground rail-
road), the Holocaust, THE HISTORY OF THE GARIFUNA PEOPLE, 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 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 discretion, cause all or a portion  of  the
public  school money to be apportioned to a district or city to be with-
held 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.
  S  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law.