California Assembly Bill AB717 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 717INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Cook and Ma (Principal coauthor: Senator Yee) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Block, Carter, Furutani, Gilmore, Hagman, Huffman, Krekorian, Lieu, Nestande, Portantino, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Torlakson, and Yamada) FEBRUARY 26, 2009 An act to amend Section 51221.4 of the Education Code, relating to public school instruction. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 717, as introduced, Cook. Public school instruction: social science: World War II: Filipinos. Under existing law, the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, is required to include instruction in social science. Schools are authorized to include instruction on World War II and the American role in that war in their social science instruction. Existing law encourages that instruction to include a component drawn from personal testimony of American soldiers who were involved in World War II and those men and women who contributed to the war effort on the homefront. School districts are required to implement the encouraged instruction in a manner that does not result in the imposition of new duties or programs. This bill would encourage instruction in social science for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to include instruction on World War II and the role of Filipinos in that war. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 51221.4 of the Education Code is amended to read: 51221.4. (a) The Legislature encourages instruction in the area of social  sciences   science  , as required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220,  which may   to  include instruction on the Vietnam  war   War  including the "Secret War" in Laos and the role of Southeast Asians in that war. The Legislature encourages  that  this instruction  to  include, but not be limited to, a component drawn from personal testimony, especially in the form of oral or video history   histories  of Southeast Asians who were involved in the Vietnam  war   War  and those men and women who contributed to the war effort on the homefront. The oral histories used as a part of the instruction regarding the role of Southeast Asians in the Vietnam  war   War  and the "Secret War" in Laos shall exemplify the personal sacrifice and courage of the wide range of ordinary citizens who were called upon to participate and provide intelligence for the United States. The oral histories shall contain the views and comments of their subjects regarding the reasons for their participation in the war. These oral histories  shall  also  shall  solicit comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath of the war and the immigration of Southeast Asians to the United States.  (b) (1) The Legislature encourages the instruction required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220 to include instruction on World War II and the role of Filipinos in that war consisting of an accurate history of the contributions of the Filipino American veterans who fought courageously in the United States Army for freedom and democracy in World War II, under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur.   (2) The Legislature encourages the instruction described in paragraph (1) to include a component drawn from personal testimony, especially in the form of oral or video histories of Filipinos who were involved in World War II and those men and women who contributed to the war effort on the homefront. The oral histories used as a part of the instruction regarding the role of Filipinos in World War II are encouraged to do all of the following:   (A) Exemplify the personal sacrifice and courage of the wide range of ordinary citizens who were called upon to participate and to provide intelligence for the United States.   (B) Contain the views and comments of their subjects regarding the reasons for their participation in the war.   (C) Solicit comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath of the war and the immigration of Filipinos to the United States.   (b)   (c)    This section shall be carried out in a manner that does not result in  any   the imposition of  new duties or programs  being imposed  on the school district. In that regard, the Legislature finds and declares that this section does not mandate costs to local agencies or school districts and that materials used to comply with this section shall be part of normal curriculum materials purchased by school districts in their normal course of business and purchasing cycles.