Bill Text: NY A11139 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Includes the Sandy Ground community, the oldest continuously inhabited free black settlement in the United States, in the education curriculum; authorizes the dormitory authority to provide financing to the Sandy Ground Historical Museum.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-11-06 - referred to education [A11139 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A11139-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 11139 IN ASSEMBLY November 6, 2020 ___________ Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Reilly) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to including the Sandy Ground community in the education curriculum; and to amend the public authorities law, in relation to authorizing the dormitory authority to provide financing to the Sandy Ground Historical Museum The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 801 of the education law, 2 as amended by section 27 of part A of chapter 56 of the laws of 2020, 3 are amended to read as follows: 4 1. In order to promote a spirit of patriotic and civic service and 5 obligation and to foster in the children of the state moral and intel- 6 lectual qualities which are essential in preparing to meet the obli- 7 gations of citizenship in peace or in war, the regents of The University 8 of the State of New York shall prescribe courses of instruction in 9 patriotism, citizenship, civic education and values, our shared history 10 of diversity, the role of religious tolerance in this country, and human 11 rights issues, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity 12 of genocide, slavery (including the freedom trail and underground rail- 13 road), Staten Island's Sandy Ground community, the oldest continuously 14 inhabited free black settlement in the United States, the Holocaust, and 15 the mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1850, to be maintained and 16 followed in all the schools of the state. The boards of education and 17 trustees of the several cities and school districts of the state shall 18 require instruction to be given in such courses, by the teachers 19 employed in the schools therein. All pupils attending such schools, over 20 the age of eight years, shall attend upon such instruction. 21 Similar courses of instruction shall be prescribed and maintained in 22 private schools in the state, and all pupils in such schools over eight 23 years of age shall attend upon such courses. If such courses are not so 24 established and maintained in a private school, attendance upon instruc- 25 tion in such school shall not be deemed substantially equivalent to EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD17088-01-0A. 11139 2 1 instruction given to pupils of like age in the public schools of the 2 city or district in which such pupils reside. 3 3. The regents shall determine the subjects to be included in such 4 courses of instruction in patriotism, citizenship, civic education and 5 values, our shared history of diversity, the role of history of diversi- 6 ty, the role of religious tolerance in this country, and human rights 7 issues, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of 8 genocide, slavery (including the freedom trail and underground 9 railroad), Staten Island's Sandy Ground community, the oldest contin- 10 uously inhabited free black settlement in the United States, the Holo- 11 caust, and the mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 12 to 1850, and in the history, meaning, significance and effect of the 13 provisions of the constitution of the United States, the amendments 14 thereto, the declaration of independence, the constitution of the state 15 of New York and the amendments thereto, and the period of instruction in 16 each of the grades in such subjects. They shall adopt rules providing 17 for attendance upon such instruction and for such other matters as are 18 required for carrying into effect the objects and purposes of this 19 section. The commissioner shall be responsible for the enforcement of 20 such section and shall cause to be inspected and supervise the instruc- 21 tion to be given in such subjects. The commissioner may, in his 22 discretion, cause all or a portion of the public school money to be 23 apportioned to a district or city to be withheld for failure of the 24 school authorities of such district or city to provide instruction in 25 such courses and to compel attendance upon such instruction, as herein 26 prescribed, and for a non-compliance with the rules of the regents 27 adopted as herein provided. 28 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 2 of section 1676 of the public 29 authorities law is amended by adding a new undesignated paragraph to 30 read as follows: 31 Sandy Ground Historical Museum at 1538 Woodrow Road, Staten Island, 32 New York for the restoration or replacement of the museum building 33 located at such address. 34 § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 1680 of the public authorities law is 35 amended by adding a new undesignated paragraph to read as follows: 36 Sandy Ground Historical Museum at 1538 Woodrow Road, Staten Island, 37 New York for the restoration or replacement of the museum building 38 located at such address. 39 § 4. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall 40 have become a law, provided however, that section one of this act shall 41 take effect July 1, 2021.
