Assembly Bill A7919

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7919
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              April 11, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. SLATER -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Education
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to enacting Firefighter
   Joseph P. Spor Jr.'s Law  requiring  the  establishment  of  September
   eleventh awareness curriculum or instruction for school districts

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
 "Firefighter Joseph P. Spor Jr.'s Law".
   §  2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 819 to read
 as follows:
   § 819. SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH  AWARENESS  CURRICULUM  OR  INSTRUCTION.  1.
 WITHIN ONE YEAR OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE COMMISSIONER,
 IN  CONSULTATION  WITH ANY APPROPRIATE AGENCY, SHALL ESTABLISH SEPTEMBER
 ELEVENTH (9/11) AWARENESS CURRICULUM OR INSTRUCTION FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS
 REGARDING THE SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH, TWO THOUSAND ONE ATTACKS ON THE UNITED
 STATES OF AMERICA AND THEIR ONGOING REPERCUSSIONS. THE CONTENT  OF  SUCH
 CURRICULUM  OR INSTRUCTION MAY BE VARIED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PARTICULAR
 SCHOOL DISTRICTS, OR PORTIONS THEREOF, AND NEED NOT BE UNIFORM  THROUGH-
 OUT THE STATE.
   2.  THE  CONTENT  OF  SUCH CURRICULUM OR INSTRUCTION SHALL INCLUDE THE
 FOLLOWING CORE TENETS AND THEMES:
   (A) THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF TERRORISM;
   (B) THE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, THE PENTAGON  AND
 UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 93 WHICH CRASHED IN SHANKSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA;
   (C) AMERICAN RECOVERY AND RESPONSE TO THE ATTACKS;
   (D) GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND CONSEQUENCES IN A POST-9/11 WORLD;
   (E)  EXAMPLES  OF HEROISM, RESILIENCE, AND SERVICE THAT EMERGED DURING
 AND AFTER 9/11 FROM PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD; AND
   (F) THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO TERRORISM FOLLOWING THE EVENTS OF 9/11.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07430-01-5
 A. 7919                             2
              

 
   3. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE AVAILABLE ON ITS WEBSITE CURRICULUM MATE-
 RIALS AND OTHER AVAILABLE RESOURCES REGARDING  THE  EVENTS  AND  SIGNIF-
 ICANCE  OF  SEPTEMBER  ELEVENTH,  TWO THOUSAND ONE, FOR VOLUNTARY USE BY
 SCHOOL ENTITIES. THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES USED  IN  THE  CURRICULUM  OR
 INSTRUCTION  SHALL  BE  AGE APPROPRIATE, FACTUALLY ACCURATE, AND SOURCED
 FROM REPUTABLE SOURCES, AND SHALL AID IN STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT
 HAPPENED ON 9/11 AND IN ITS AFTERMATH, AND THE CONTINUING IMPORTANCE  OF
 THE ATTACKS TODAY.
   4. A SCHOOL MAY INCLUDE THE CURRICULUM OR INSTRUCTION REQUIRED BY THIS
 SECTION  AS A COMPONENT OF ITS SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM OR IN ANY OTHER
 MANNER SUCH SCHOOL DEEMS APPROPRIATE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
 the  date  upon which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately,
 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or  regulation  neces-
 sary  for  the  implementation  of  this  act  on its effective date are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.