Hawaii 2023 Regular Session

Hawaii Senate Bill SCR56 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 56 THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 STATE OF HAWAII SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION requesting the board of education to review various PROGRAMS AND subject matter areas for IMPLEMENTATION in public schoolS.
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3	3	THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 56
4	4	THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
5	5	STATE OF HAWAII
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7	7	THE SENATE
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9	9	S.C.R. NO.
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11	11	56
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13	13	THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
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17	17	STATE OF HAWAII
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29	29	SENATE CONCURRENT
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31	31	RESOLUTION
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37	37	requesting the board of education to review various PROGRAMS AND subject matter areas for IMPLEMENTATION in public schoolS.
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43	43	WHEREAS, the Board of Education has a constitutional mandate to formulate statewide educational policy over the public school system set forth by Article X, Section 3, of the Hawaii State Constitution; and WHEREAS, providing Hawaii's keiki with high quality educational experiences is of paramount importance to ensuring success for Hawaii's future generations; and WHEREAS, reliable transportation promotes school attendance and ensures all keiki have access to high quality education across the State; and WHEREAS, reliable transportation methods such as bicycles provide numerous benefits, including physical exercise, fewer financial expenses, greater flexibility than public transportation, and no carbon dioxide emissions; and WHEREAS, Act 306, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022, authorizes the Department of Transportation to issue rebates for electric bicycles and electric mopeds for individuals who are eighteen years or older; and WHEREAS, teenagers in high school would particularly benefit from subsidized bicycles as students must commute between home and school, may work part-time jobs, and often lack the financial resources to purchase a motor vehicle or other modes of transportation; and WHEREAS, providing subsidized bicycles through a bicycle grant program would alleviate low attendance rates and chronic tardiness, and allow students to spend more time in the classroom learning; and WHEREAS, civic education helps develop critical thinking skills that are vital to the functioning of a democratic nation, including how to recognize social problems, evaluate possible solutions, separate evidence-based claims from opinions, and taking action; and WHEREAS, in 2018, the Board of Education adopted the Hawaii Core Standards in social studies, which outline content, concepts, and inquiry skills students need to reason, wonder, and think about the vastness and richness of the human condition; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii Core Standards in social studies also integrate and encompass the democratic values, civility, and global perspective needed to support the development of critical thinking and habits of mind that are the hallmark of a mature, community-minded citizen; and WHEREAS, the proliferation of disinformation, misinformation, digital discrimination, and online hate speech have become larger, pervasive threats to modern society; and WHEREAS, disinformation and online hate speech have been linked to outbursts of violence in the real world; and WHEREAS, engaging students in the pursuit of active and informed citizenship will connect students to the world through informed instructional experiences that are led by teachers who are committed to active civic participation; and WHEREAS, implementing civic education and media literacy programs teaches students to not only acquire knowledge but develop the skills to engage in the workings of a democracy and practice of democratic citizenship while also being cognizant of the danger of disinformation, misinformation, digital discrimination, and online hate speech; and WHEREAS, financial education is a lifelong learning process that empowers individuals to plan for their futures; and WHEREAS, historically, the education system has assumed that students learn important financial skills from their families; and WHEREAS, not all students are being taught the financial skills they will need to be successful later in life; and WHEREAS, the lack of financial literacy poses a significant barrier for individuals seeking to achieve financial prosperity and stability, especially for younger individuals who are preparing to become heads of households, investors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and responsible citizens; and WHEREAS, the creation of a financial literacy curriculum would not only prepare Hawaii's keiki in economic and financial matters, but would also promote the development of fiscal responsibility and financial management skills; and WHEREAS, sign language is a powerful communication tool for those with hearing or speech disorders, autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia, specific language impairments, Down Syndrome, and other disabilities; and WHEREAS, American Sign Language, or ASL, is a vital part of the linguistic heritage of the State that benefits and enriches hearing-impaired and non-hearing-impaired individuals; and WHEREAS, Act 152, Session Laws of Hawaii 2016, recognizes American Sign Language as a world language for public school language requirement purposes; and WHEREAS, while fluency in American Sign Language is a marketable skill, the lack of American Sign Language courses in Hawaii public schools makes it difficult to meet the needs of hearing-impaired students in their studies and educate students who are interested in studying American Sign Language; and WHEREAS, public school students with deaf siblings or other family members would also benefit from the opportunity to acquire American Sign Language skills in an educational setting, as it would improve their ability to communicate with deaf family members; and WHEREAS, developing additional programs in American Sign Language will create accessible education for all students in the public school system; and WHEREAS, creating programs within public education that go beyond traditional academic subjects will prepare Hawaii's keiki to become well-rounded citizens while also preparing them to accomplish future academic, career, and life goals; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Board of Education is requested to review various subject matter areas for consideration in public school curriculum; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, specifically, the Board of Education is requested to consider the following programs and curriculum for implementation in public schools: (1) Bicycle grants; (2) Media literacy; (3) Civic education; (4) Financial literacy; and (5) American Sign Language; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Board of Education; Department of Education; Public Schools; Curriculum; Media Literacy; Financial Literacy; Civic Education; Bicycle Grant Program; Sign Language
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45	45	WHEREAS, the Board of Education has a constitutional mandate to formulate statewide educational policy over the public school system set forth by Article X, Section 3, of the Hawaii State Constitution; and
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49	49	WHEREAS, providing Hawaii's keiki with high quality educational experiences is of paramount importance to ensuring success for Hawaii's future generations; and
50	50
51	51
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53	53	WHEREAS, reliable transportation promotes school attendance and ensures all keiki have access to high quality education across the State; and
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57	57	WHEREAS, reliable transportation methods such as bicycles provide numerous benefits, including physical exercise, fewer financial expenses, greater flexibility than public transportation, and no carbon dioxide emissions; and
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61	61	WHEREAS, Act 306, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022, authorizes the Department of Transportation to issue rebates for electric bicycles and electric mopeds for individuals who are eighteen years or older; and
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63	63
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65	65	WHEREAS, teenagers in high school would particularly benefit from subsidized bicycles as students must commute between home and school, may work part-time jobs, and often lack the financial resources to purchase a motor vehicle or other modes of transportation; and
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69	69	WHEREAS, providing subsidized bicycles through a bicycle grant program would alleviate low attendance rates and chronic tardiness, and allow students to spend more time in the classroom learning; and
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73	73	WHEREAS, civic education helps develop critical thinking skills that are vital to the functioning of a democratic nation, including how to recognize social problems, evaluate possible solutions, separate evidence-based claims from opinions, and taking action; and
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77	77	WHEREAS, in 2018, the Board of Education adopted the Hawaii Core Standards in social studies, which outline content, concepts, and inquiry skills students need to reason, wonder, and think about the vastness and richness of the human condition; and
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81	81	WHEREAS, the Hawaii Core Standards in social studies also integrate and encompass the democratic values, civility, and global perspective needed to support the development of critical thinking and habits of mind that are the hallmark of a mature, community-minded citizen; and
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85	85	WHEREAS, the proliferation of disinformation, misinformation, digital discrimination, and online hate speech have become larger, pervasive threats to modern society; and
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89	89	WHEREAS, disinformation and online hate speech have been linked to outbursts of violence in the real world; and
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93	93	WHEREAS, engaging students in the pursuit of active and informed citizenship will connect students to the world through informed instructional experiences that are led by teachers who are committed to active civic participation; and
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97	97	WHEREAS, implementing civic education and media literacy programs teaches students to not only acquire knowledge but develop the skills to engage in the workings of a democracy and practice of democratic citizenship while also being cognizant of the danger of disinformation, misinformation, digital discrimination, and online hate speech; and
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101	101	WHEREAS, financial education is a lifelong learning process that empowers individuals to plan for their futures; and
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103	103
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105	105	WHEREAS, historically, the education system has assumed that students learn important financial skills from their families; and
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109	109	WHEREAS, not all students are being taught the financial skills they will need to be successful later in life; and
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113	113	WHEREAS, the lack of financial literacy poses a significant barrier for individuals seeking to achieve financial prosperity and stability, especially for younger individuals who are preparing to become heads of households, investors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and responsible citizens; and
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117	117	WHEREAS, the creation of a financial literacy curriculum would not only prepare Hawaii's keiki in economic and financial matters, but would also promote the development of fiscal responsibility and financial management skills; and
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121	121	WHEREAS, sign language is a powerful communication tool for those with hearing or speech disorders, autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia, specific language impairments, Down Syndrome, and other disabilities; and
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125	125	WHEREAS, American Sign Language, or ASL, is a vital part of the linguistic heritage of the State that benefits and enriches hearing-impaired and non-hearing-impaired individuals; and
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127	127
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129	129	WHEREAS, Act 152, Session Laws of Hawaii 2016, recognizes American Sign Language as a world language for public school language requirement purposes; and
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133	133	WHEREAS, while fluency in American Sign Language is a marketable skill, the lack of American Sign Language courses in Hawaii public schools makes it difficult to meet the needs of hearing-impaired students in their studies and educate students who are interested in studying American Sign Language; and
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137	137	WHEREAS, public school students with deaf siblings or other family members would also benefit from the opportunity to acquire American Sign Language skills in an educational setting, as it would improve their ability to communicate with deaf family members; and
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139	139
140	140
141	141	WHEREAS, developing additional programs in American Sign Language will create accessible education for all students in the public school system; and
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144	144
145	145	WHEREAS, creating programs within public education that go beyond traditional academic subjects will prepare Hawaii's keiki to become well-rounded citizens while also preparing them to accomplish future academic, career, and life goals; now, therefore,
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149	149	BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Board of Education is requested to review various subject matter areas for consideration in public school curriculum; and
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153	153	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, specifically, the Board of Education is requested to consider the following programs and curriculum for implementation in public schools:
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157	157	(1) Bicycle grants;
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161	161	(2) Media literacy;
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165	165	(3) Civic education;
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169	169	(4) Financial literacy; and
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173	173	(5) American Sign Language; and
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177	177	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.
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185	185	OFFERED BY: _____________________________
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189	189	OFFERED BY:
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191	191	_____________________________
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197	197	Report Title:
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199	199	Board of Education; Department of Education; Public Schools; Curriculum; Media Literacy; Financial Literacy; Civic Education; Bicycle Grant Program; Sign Language