New York S 6934: Includes the Sandy Ground community in the education curriculum

Bill Text

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S06934 Summary:

BILL NOS06934 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A04154

&nbsp

SPONSORLANZA

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §801, Ed L

&nbsp

Includes the Sandy Ground community, the oldest continuously inhabited free black settlement in the United States, in the education curriculum.

Go to top S06934 Actions:

BILL NOS06934 

&nbsp

03/27/2025REFERRED TO EDUCATION

01/07/2026REFERRED TO EDUCATION

Go to topS06934 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS06934 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS06934 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 6934

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 March 27, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- 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 including the Sandy
 Ground community in the education curriculum

 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.
 LBD03363-01-5

 S. 6934 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 resp