Senate Bill S265

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    265
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 4, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  STEWART-COUSINS -- 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  instruction  on  the
   subject  of the history of the Ukrainian Genocide-Holodomor of 1932 to
   1933

   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, THE UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE-HOLODOMOR OF 1932 TO  1933,
 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-

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

                                                            LBD02235-01-3
 S. 265                              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, THE UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE-HOLODOMOR OF 1932 TO  1933,
 and  the mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1850, and in the histo-
 ry, meaning, significance and effect of the provisions of the  constitu-
 tion  of  the  United States, the amendments thereto, the declaration of
 independence, the constitution of the state of New York and  the  amend-
 ments  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 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.
   §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.