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Assembly Bill A851

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Requires climate change and sustainability education in elementary and high schools

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

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2023-A851 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Add §817, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: A9150
2021-2022: A3468
2025-2026: A1984

2023-A851 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires that climate change and sustainability education be taught in elementary and high schools to educate pupils about how human activities cause climate change, the effects of climate change, the dangers associated with climate change and preventative measures that can be taken to alleviate the impacts of climate change.

2023-A851 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    851
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 11, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law,  in  relation  to  requiring  climate
   change and sustainability education in elementary and high 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. COMPREHENSIVE CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY  EDUCATION.  1.
 THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CREATE AND ESTABLISH A COMPREHENSIVE AND ACCURATE
 CLIMATE  CHANGE  AND  SUSTAINABILITY CURRICULUM WHICH SHALL BE TAUGHT IN
 GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH TWELVE IN ALL PUBLIC  AND  CHARTER  SCHOOLS.
 SUCH  CURRICULUM SHALL INCLUDE INSTRUCTION ON HOW HUMAN ACTIVITIES CAUSE
 CLIMATE CHANGE, THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE,  THE  DANGERS  ASSOCIATED
 WITH CLIMATE CHANGE AND PREVENTATIVE MEASURES THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO ALLE-
 VIATE THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
   2.  THE  CHANCELLOR  OF THE NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL SYSTEM, OR A BOARD OF
 EDUCATION MAY ADOPT THEIR OWN CURRICULUM UPON APPROVAL  OF  THE  COMMIS-
 SIONER,  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER, THAT THE COMMISSIONER SHALL NOT APPROVE ANY
 CURRICULUM WHICH DOES  NOT  SUBSTANTIALLY  COMPLY  WITH  THE  CURRICULUM
 CREATED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION.
   3. SCHOOLS SHALL BEGIN TEACHING THE CURRICULUM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO
 THIS  SECTION  IN  THE  FIRST SCHOOL YEAR FOLLOWING CERTIFICATION BY THE
 COMMISSIONER THAT SUCH CURRICULUM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.
   4. 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 REGARDING CLIMATE
 CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01260-01-3

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