NY State Senate Bill S7341

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
In Committee
On Floor Calendar
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
Delivered to Governor
Signed/Vetoed by Governor

Your Voice

Please enter your contact information

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

A valid email address is required.

Home address search or enter your address manually *

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Leave this field blank

Actions

view actions (1)

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 21, 2020	referred to education

Co-Sponsors

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9886
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §817, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S1081, A2325
2023-2024: S278, A1559

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a model environmental curriculum in all public elementary and secondary schools which shall include various principles and concepts including environmental justice.

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S7341

SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a model
environmental curriculum in all elementary and secondary schools

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill will require the commissioner of education to develop a model
climate change climate change curriculum. All public elementary and
secondary schools will be required to incorporate the model climate
change curriculum to be taught as part of science, social studies,
history, and health classes.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Requires the commissioner to create a model climate change
curriculum that will include, but not my limited to, topics of air qual-
ity, climate change, energy, environmental justice, sustainability,

fishing and wildlife, forestry, oceans, pollution prevention, public
health, water and toxics and chemicals. The environmental curricula will
be incorporated into other course standards subjects and taught in
English, Science, History, Social Studies and Health. The commissioner
will make the model curriculum available to the public, and provide
technical assistance for schools to incorporate it into their instruc-
tion. The commissioner will update the model curriculum every four years
to reflect current understanding in scientific, social and technical
knowledge.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Climate change is the existential threat of our time and will increas-
ingly impact every facet of society and the physical environment. Rising
temperatures, high levels of pollution, and climate-related storms and
catastrophes lead to property damage, loss of life, and a growing public
health crisis. No group is more likely to bear the brunt of climate
change than young people. It is critical to ensure that we are investing
our best thinking into solutions to the climate crisis, by ensuring that
future leaders are educated in the science and social/historical causes
of climate change, and how they will affect society and communities.
This legislation requires that New York schools incorporate aspects of
climate change education in almost every subject matter and every grade
level, including science, history, social studies and English and liter-
ature. Today's students will be tomorrow's future leaders tasked with
addressing the global climate crisis, so ensuring they have a comprehen-
sive education on the issue should be a key priority for the public
school system.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

None.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7341
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 21, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- 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 establishing a model
   environmental curriculum in all elementary and secondary schools
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 817 to
 read as follows:
   §  817.  MODEL  ENVIRONMENTAL  CURRICULUM.  1.  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL
 PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS  TO  ESTABLISH  A  MODEL  ENVIRONMENTAL
 CURRICULUM  ON  CLIMATE CHANGE TO BE TAUGHT IN ALL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND
 SECONDARY SCHOOLS. SUCH MODEL ENVIRONMENTAL  CURRICULUM  SHALL  INCLUDE,
 BUT  NOT  BE  LIMITED  TO,  THE  PRINCIPLES  AND CONCEPTS RELATED TO THE
 FOLLOWING TOPICS:
   A. AIR;
   B. CLIMATE CHANGE;
   C. ENERGY;
   D. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE;
   E. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY;
   F. FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES;
   G. FORESTRY;
   H. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT;
   I. OCEANS;
   J. POLLUTION PREVENTION;
   K. PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT;
   L. RESOURCE CONSERVATION, WASTE REDUCTION, AND RECYCLING;
   M. TOXICS AND HAZARDOUS WASTE; AND
   N. WATER.
   2. THE MODEL ENVIRONMENTAL CURRICULUM  SHALL  BE  ALIGNED  WITH  OTHER
 COURSE  SUBJECT  STANDARDS OF INSTRUCTION AS SET FORTH BY THE DEPARTMENT
 AND BE INCLUDED IN THE FOLLOWING COURSE SUBJECT'S STANDARDS OF  INSTRUC-
 TION, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   A. SCIENCE;
   B. HISTORY;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14561-02-9

 S. 7341                             2
 
   C. SOCIAL STUDIES;
   D. HEALTH; AND
   E. MATHEMATICS.
   3.  ALL  PUBLIC  ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS SHALL BEGIN TEACHING
 THE MODEL ENVIRONMENTAL CURRICULUM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THIS  SECTION
 IN  THE  FIRST  SCHOOL  YEAR FOLLOWING CERTIFICATION BY THE COMMISSIONER
 THAT SUCH CURRICULUM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.
   4.  A.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  DEVELOP  AGE-APPROPRIATE  CURRICULUM
 RESOURCES AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE TO STUDENTS IN
 ALL  ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO CARRYOUT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS
 SECTION.
   B. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE THE MODEL CURRICULUM AND MODEL CURRICULUM
 RESOURCES PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY ON THE DEPARTMENT'S INTERNET
 WEBSITE.
   5. SCHOOL AUTHORITIES SHALL PROVIDE THE NEEDED  FACILITIES,  TIME  AND
 PLACE  FOR  THE  INSTRUCTION SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION AND SHALL PROVIDE
 LEARNING AIDS AND CURRICULUM  RESOURCE  MATERIALS  WHICH  CONTRIBUTE  TO
 EFFECTIVE  TEACHING  METHODS AND LEARNING IN EDUCATION IN REGARDS TO THE
 MODEL ENVIRONMENTAL CURRICULUM.
   6. A. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL UPDATE THE MODEL ENVIRONMENTAL CURRICULUM
 EVERY FOUR YEARS FOLLOWING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH CURRICULUM.
   B. SUCH UPDATE SHALL BE BASED ON  CURRENT  SCIENTIFIC,  TECHNICAL  AND
 SOCIAL KNOWLEDGE.
   §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

The New York State Senate

senate Bill S7341

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Your Voice

Actions

Co-Sponsors

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Details

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S7341

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Andrew Gounardes

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Your Voice

Actions

Co-Sponsors

Joseph P. Addabbo Jr

Liz Krueger

Velmanette Montgomery

Julia Salazar

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Details

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S7341 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments