Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H500 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2671 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 500
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Vanna Howard and Sean Garballey
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act concerning Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history education.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/19/2023Sean Garballey23rd Middlesex1/19/2023Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex1/26/2023Steven Owens29th Middlesex2/2/2023Michelle M. DuBois10th Plymouth2/7/2023Colleen M. Garry36th Middlesex2/13/2023James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex3/13/2023 1 of 3
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2671 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 500
18	18	By Representatives Howard of Lowell and Garballey of Arlington, a petition (accompanied by
19	19	bill, House, No. 500) of Vanna Howard, Sean Garballey and others for legislation to include
20	20	Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history education in school curriculum. Education.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
24	24	(2023-2024)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act concerning Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history education.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. There shall be included in the 2023-2024 school year curriculum and all
30	30	2subsequent curriculums learning, discussion, and exploration into the history of APIDA
31	31	3individuals, and their history relating to the United States. This instruction of both local and
32	32	4national history will serve to give all students a more comprehensive and accurate narrative of
33	33	5the US population as a whole. This instruction may be modified to fit the needs of an individual
34	34	6community but must fully comply with the criteria detailed in Section 4.
35	35	7 SECTION 2. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a
36	36	8separate fund to be known as the APIDA History Education Trust Fund for the purpose of
37	37	9educating elementary, middle, and high school students on APIDA history. The commissioner of
38	38	10elementary and secondary education shall administer the fund to assist in promoting the teaching
39	39	11of human rights issues in all public schools and school districts. There shall be credited to the
40	40	12fund: (i) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, grants and donations to further 2 of 3
41	41	13APIDA history education; (ii) revenue from fines imposed for a hate crime or civil rights
42	42	14violation pursuant to section 37 or section 39 of chapter 265; and (iv) interest earned on money
43	43	15in the fund.
44	44	16 SECTION 3. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following
45	45	17section:-
46	46	18 Section 99. (a) The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
47	47	19will update the state History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks for elementary, middle,
48	48	20and high school students to include the history of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans.
49	49	21 (b) APIDA history is the history of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans. The term
50	50	22encompasses a diverse group of identities, and refers to a US citizen or resident of Asian birth or
51	51	23descent. Updated curricula will include the political, economic, cultural, and social influence of
52	52	24Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans as well as their individual contributions to science and
53	53	25technology, culture and the arts, and professions such as business, law, medicine, education,
54	54	26politics, and economics.
55	55	27 (c) Every school district shall, for the purpose of educating elementary, middle, and high
56	56	28school students, provide instruction on the history of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans as
57	57	29aligned to, but not limited to, the content standards articulated in the history and social science
58	58	30curriculum frameworks adopted by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary
59	59	31Education.
60	60	32 (d) Instruction on APIDA history shall be consistent within the History and Social
61	61	33Science Curriculum Framework to: (i) promote the teaching of diverse perspectives in all
62	62	34publicly funded schools and school districts, with particular attention to the study of the 3 of 3
63	63	35achievements of APIDA people; (ii) address how the history and patterns of prejudice and racism
64	64	36have impacted APIDA people; and (iii) reject the targeting of a APIDA populations and other
65	65	37forms of prejudice that can lead to systemic racism in an effort to be more anti-racist.
66	66	38 (e) The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and the Department of
67	67	39Elementary and Secondary Education shall assist schools in providing instruction on the history
68	68	40of APIDA people by facilitating access to high-quality curricular materials.
69	69	41 (f) The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will provide training for
70	70	42educators in the teaching of APIDA history in person or through the use of synchronous audio,
71	71	43video, electronic media, or other telecommunications technology.
72	72	44 (g) Nothing in this section shall require a school district to require APIDA history
73	73	45instruction in every year of elementary, middle school, and high school; provided, however, that
74	74	46APIDA history education and instruction shall be utilized during appropriate times in
75	75	47elementary, middle, and high school curricula, as determined by the local school district and in
76	76	48conjunction with state curricular standards.
77	77	49 SECTION 4. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall annually
78	78	50assess whether each district is meeting the updated curricular standards with APIDA history set
79	79	51by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; if they assess that they are not
80	80	52already meeting the curricular standards, each district superintendent shall be expected to work
81	81	53with their history and social science departments to improve their curriculum to meet the
82	82	54standards. To do so, they may use funds provided by the APIDA History Education Trust Fund.
83	83	55 SECTION 5. Sections 1, 2, and 4 shall take effect for the school year beginning after July
84	84	561, 2023.