Substitute House Bill No. 7082
Public Act No. 19-12
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E INCLUSION OF BLACK AND LATINO
STUDIES IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10-16b of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021):
(a) In the public schools the program of instruction offered shall
include at least the following subject matter, as taught by legally
qualified teachers, the arts; career education; consumer education;
health and safety, including, but not limited to, human growth and
development, nutrition, first aid, including cardiopulmonary
resuscitation training in accordance with the provisions of section 10-
16qq, disease prevention and cancer awareness, including, but not
limited to, age and developmentally appropriate instruction in
performing self-examinations for the purposes of screening for breast
cancer and testicular cancer, community and consumer health,
physical, mental and emotional health, including youth suicide
prevention, substance abuse prevention, including instruction relating
to opioid use and related disorders, safety, which shall include the safe
use of social media, as defined in section 9-601, and may include the
dangers of gang membership, and accident prevention; language arts,
including reading, writing, grammar, speaking and spelling; Substitute House Bill No. 7082
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mathematics; physical education; science, which may include the
climate change curriculum described in subsection (d) of this section;
social studies, including, but not limited to, citizenship, economics,
geography, government, history and Holocaust and genocide
education and awareness in accordance with the provisions of section
10-18f; African-American and black studies in accordance with the
provisions of section 2 of this act; Puerto Rican and Latino studies in
accordance with the provisions of section 2 of this act; computer
programming instruction; and in addition, on at least the secondary
level, one or more world languages; [and] vocational education; and
the black and Latino studies course in accordance with the provisions
of sections 3 and 4 of this act. For purposes of this subsection, world
languages shall include American Sign Language, provided such
subject matter is taught by a qualified instructor under the supervision
of a teacher who holds a certificate issued by the State Board of
Education. For purposes of this subsection, the "arts" means any form
of visual or performing arts, which may include, but not be limited to,
dance, music, art and theatre.
(b) If a local or regional board of education requires its pupils to
take a course in a world language, the parent or guardian of a pupil
identified as deaf or hard of hearing may request in writing that such
pupil be exempted from such requirement and, if such a request is
made, such pupil shall be exempt from such requirement.
(c) Each local and regional board of education shall on September 1,
1982, and annually thereafter at such time and in such manner as the
Commissioner of Education shall request, attest to the State Board of
Education that such local or regional board of education offers at least
the program of instruction required pursuant to this section, and that
such program of instruction is planned, ongoing and systematic.
(d) The State Board of Education shall make available curriculum
materials and such other materials as may assist local and regional Substitute House Bill No. 7082
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boards of education in developing instructional programs pursuant to
this section. The State Board of Education, within available
appropriations and utilizing available resource materials, shall assist
and encourage local and regional boards of education to include: (1)
Holocaust and genocide education and awareness; (2) the historical
events surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland; (3) African-American
[history] and black studies; (4) Puerto Rican [history] and Latino
studies; (5) Native American history; (6) personal financial
management, including, but not limited to, financial literacy as
developed in the plan provided under section 10-16pp; (7) training in
cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automatic external
defibrillators; (8) labor history and law, including organized labor, the
collective bargaining process, existing legal protections in the
workplace, the history and economics of free market capitalism and
entrepreneurialism, and the role of labor and capitalism in the
development of the American and world economies; (9) climate
change consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards; (10)
topics approved by the state board upon the request of local or
regional boards of education as part of the program of instruction
offered pursuant to subsection (a) of this section; and (11) instruction
relating to the Safe Haven Act, sections 17a-57 to 17a-61, inclusive. The
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall be available
to each local and regional board of education for the development of
curriculum on climate change as described in this subsection.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) For the school year
commencing July 1, 2021, and each school year thereafter, each local
and regional board of education shall include African-American and
black studies and Puerto Rican and Latino studies as part of the
curriculum for the school district, pursuant to section 10-16b of the
general statutes, as amended by this act. In developing and
implementing the African-American and black studies and Puerto
Rican and Latino studies curriculum, the board may utilize the Substitute House Bill No. 7082
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curriculum materials made available by the State Board of Education
pursuant to subsection (d) of section 10-16b of the general statutes, as
amended by this act, or other existing and appropriate public or
private materials, personnel and resources, provided such curriculum
is in accordance with the state-wide subject matter content standards,
adopted by the state board pursuant to section 10-4 of the general
statutes.
(b) A local or regional board of education may accept gifts, grants
and donations, including in-kind donations, designated for the
development and implementation of the African-American and black
studies and Puerto Rican and Latino studies curriculum under this
section.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) (1) Not later than January 1,
2021, the State Board of Education shall review and approve the black
and Latino studies course developed pursuant to subsection (b) of this
section by the State Education Resource Center, established pursuant
to section 10-357a of the general statutes. The state board shall approve
such course if, following a review of such course, the state board
determines that the content of such course is rigorous, aligned with
curriculum guidelines approved by the state board, and in accordance
with the state-wide subject matter content standards, adopted by the
state board pursuant to section 10-4 of the general statutes.
(2) Not later than January 15, 2021, the state board, in consultation
with the State Education Resource Center, shall submit a description of
the black and Latino studies course, which includes the scope and
sequence and course objective, and a report on the development and
review of such course to the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, in
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
(b) The State Education Resource Center shall develop a black and Substitute House Bill No. 7082
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Latino studies course. Such course shall be one credit and offered at
the high school level. In developing such course, the State Education
Resource Center may utilize existing and appropriate public or private
materials, personnel and other resources, including, but not limited to,
persons and organizations with subject matter expertise in African-
American, black, Puerto Rican or Latino studies, and the curriculum
materials made available pursuant to subsection (d) of section 10-16b
of the general statutes, as amended by this act.
(c) For the school years commencing July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024,
inclusive, the Department of Education shall conduct an annual audit
to ensure that the black and Latino studies course approved pursuant
to this section is being offered by each local and regional board of
education. The department shall annually submit a report on such
audit to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with the
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) For the school year
commencing July 1, 2021, a local or regional board of education may
offer the black and Latino studies course, approved pursuant to section
3 of this act, in grades nine to twelve, inclusive.
(b) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, a local or regional
board of education shall offer the black and Latino studies course in
grades nine to twelve, inclusive.