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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3360 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 542
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Tram T. Nguyen and Steven Ultrino
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to promote racially inclusive curriculum in schools.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Tram T. Nguyen18th Essex1/20/2023Steven Ultrino33rd Middlesex1/20/2023Bud L. Williams11th Hampden1/20/2023James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol1/27/2023David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester1/30/2023Jack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex1/31/2023Michelle M. DuBois10th Plymouth2/7/2023Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex2/10/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/19/2023Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/22/2023 1 of 7
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3360 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 542
By Representatives Nguyen of Andover and Ultrino of Malden, a petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 542) of Tram T. Nguyen, Steven Ultrino and others for legislation to promote
racially inclusive curriculum in schools. Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act to promote racially inclusive curriculum in schools.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
2section 2XXXXX the following new section:-
3 Section 2XXXXX. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the
4commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Racially Inclusive Curriculum Trust Fund.
5The fund shall be administered by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education. The
6fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the
7general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest earned on such
8revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, grants and donations to
9further racially inclusive curriculum development in education and professional development.
10Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money
11remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund. 2 of 7
12 (b) Amounts credited to the fund may be expended, without further appropriation, by the
13commissioner for the following purposes: (i) to assist with the implementation of section 1R of
14chapter 69, (ii) for the development of racially inclusive curriculum frameworks within multiple
15disciplines and within the history and social science learning standards; (iii) for the development
16of materials and resources to enable school districts to implement a racially inclusive curriculum
17in their schools, (iv) for professional development training, (v) for collaboration and sharing of
18best practices among school districts, (vi) for collaboration with institutions of higher education
19and other stakeholder organizations; and (vii) for issuing grants under the grant program
20established in subsection (c) below.
21 (c) The commissioner may expend funds from the trust fund for a Racially Inclusive
22Curriculum in Education grant program. The grant program shall be developed and administered
23by the commissioner of education for all public schools and school districts to promote a racially
24inclusive curriculum within and across school districts. All grant applications shall include: (i) a
25statement of the prospective curriculum or program and the expected impact; (ii) a preliminary
26estimate of the cost; (iii) sustainability plan of execution of curriculum or program; and (iv) a
27mechanism for determining how the proposal may be effectively replicated in other school
28districts. The commissioner of education shall, from time to time, review and make
29recommendations on the improvement of the design, oversight or implementation of the grant
30program.
31 (d) The commissioner may facilitate the granting of funds and other resources to public
32schools and school districts, state colleges and universities, and community groups. The
33commissioner will ensure that every public school and school district has the opportunity to
34apply for grants. Programs eligible for these grants shall be used for the following purposes: (i) 3 of 7
35professional development training; (ii) for the review of current curricula and standards related to
36racially inclusive teaching; (iii) for the development of educational materials; (iv) for
37collaboration with institutions of higher education and other stakeholder organizations; and (v)
38for collaboration and sharing of model curricula, resources, and best practices with other districts
39and programs in order to support replication and dissemination of effective practices generated
40through the grant program.
41 (e) In expending amounts credited to the fund, the commissioner may prioritize: (i)
42underserved communities across the commonwealth, including those public schools or school
43districts with high concentrations of economically-disadvantaged students; (ii) communities that
44have experienced an incident motivated by racial, ethnic or religious bias; and (iii) schools
45implementing a racially inclusive curriculum and education models for the first time.
46 (f) Amounts received from private sources shall be approved by the commissioner of
47elementary and secondary education and subject to review before being deposited in the fund to
48ensure that pledged funds are not accompanied by conditions, explicit or implicit, that would
49improperly shape or otherwise hinder the development and implementation of racially inclusive
50curriculum and instruction, or that would be detrimental to the neutral and rigorous teaching of
51racially inclusive teaching practices or unduly influence the direction of policies related to
52racially inclusive teaching. The review shall be made publicly available on the department’s
53website.
54 (g) Public schools and school districts awarded funds pursuant to this section shall work
55with the commissioner of education and the commission to analyze the effectiveness of their
56initiatives in accordance with assessment measures established by the commission. 4 of 7
57 (h) Annually, not later than December 1, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of
58the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on education and the house and
59senate committees on ways and means on the fund's activity. The report shall include, but not be
60limited to: (i) the source and amount of funds received; (ii) the amounts distributed and the
61purpose of expenditures from the fund, including but not limited to, funds expended to assist
62school districts in meeting the requirements in this section; (iii) any grants provided to
63institutions of higher education and other stakeholder organizations; and (iv) anticipated revenue
64and expenditure projections for the next year.
65 SECTION 2. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
66section 1T the following new section:
67 Section 1U. (a) In all public schools, instruction shall be inclusive of all racial and ethnic
68groups and shall require the teaching of accurate histories, writings, and contributions of racial
69and ethnic groups that have been historically underrepresented or marginalized, including but not
70limited to Indigenous People; African Americans and the Black and African Diaspora; Asian
71Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and Asian Diaspora; and Latino/a/x and people with
72Latin American heritage.
73 (i) Within academic standards across multiple disciplines required in section 1D of
74chapter 69, instruction in all grade levels shall include, but not be limited to: (1) studying
75literature, books and writings by authors from underrepresented groups, as well as art, music,
76film and other works from these groups, that will provide balanced narratives with multiple
77perspectives and offer insight into their experiences and cultural identities, (2) highlighting
78people from underrepresented groups who have made notable positive contributions in math, 5 of 7
79science, humanities, the arts and other disciplines, and the impact these contributions have had
80on society, and (3) learning about and fostering understanding of the ethnic and cultural
81identities, heritage, and customs of underrepresented groups and celebrating their contributions
82to a multicultural society.
83 (ii) In the history and social studies academic standards required in section 1D of chapter
8469, instruction across grade levels shall aim to provide students an understanding of the unique
85and shared experiences of each racial group, including underrepresented and marginalized
86groups of people who may identify as having Indigenous, African, Asian, Latin, and Hispanic
87heritage in the United States. Instruction shall include, but not be limited to, analyzing and
88discussing: (1) the history of slavery and segregation and their impact on today’s society; (2) the
89impact of colonial settlement, land appropriation, western expansion, and creation of tribal
90reservations; (3) the impact of racial inequities and discriminatory and exclusionary policies and
91practices; (4) racial violence towards marginalized groups; (5) an understanding of stereotypes
92and the impact on conscious and unconscious bias; (6) the impact of U.S. immigration history,
93quotas, restrictions, and other policies; (7) other historical policies, practices and experiences and
94how they relate to current issues that are affecting racial and ethnic groups in contemporary
95society; (8) the impact of model minority myths; (9) the role that race plays in community
96diversity, geographic and economic mobility, and political and socio-economic status; (10)
97exploring trends in voter registration and civic participation relative to disenfranchised voter
98populations; and (11) pursuing opportunities to identify and debate issues relative to power and
99access, economic status, and democracy.
100 (b) A school district, charter school, approved private day or residential school or
101collaborative school shall incorporate standards for inclusive teaching of the history, writings, 6 of 7
102and contributions of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups established pursuant to section 1R
103and subsection (a) into existing curriculum including, but not limited to, language arts, history
104and social science, mathematics, performing and visual arts, science and technology, and world
105language.
106 (c) All lessons and teaching related to the curriculum must be appropriate for use with
107students of all races, religions, nationalities, genders, abilities, neurological profiles, sexual
108orientations, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as well as English language learners.
109 (d) In developing the framework standards pursuant to section 1R subsection (a), the
110department of elementary and secondary education shall seek input and feedback from
111community members from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, as well as
112experts in the field of racial, ethnic, and/or cultural studies or related disciplines. Any proposed
113changes to the standards shall be publicly available with opportunities for public feedback and
114said input shall be publicly available and considered in the development of standards.
115 (e) The department shall provide professional development opportunities for educators on
116the framework standards established pursuant to section 1R and subsection (a), and create tools
117aligned with the framework to support districts in the implementation process. Subject to
118funding, the department will facilitate the sharing of model curricula and resources from experts,
119educators, organizations, and other school districts with implementation experience. Additional
120support and outreach from the department may include statewide and regional trainings,
121meetings or conferences, including opportunities for districts and other stakeholders to assess
122and share evidence-based best practices in support of racially and culturally inclusive education
123and provide feedback and recommendations to the department. 7 of 7
124 (f) Every three years the department shall hold a public review and issue a report on the
125implementation of the racially inclusive curriculum standards to ensure that instructional
126programs that include the histories, writings and contributions of underrepresented racial and
127ethnic groups are being offered in the commonwealth to students in kindergarten to grade 12.
128The general court may be petitioned to direct the commissioner of education to, subject to
129appropriation, convene a working group consisting of educators experienced in teaching
130curriculum related to racially and culturally inclusive education, experts in the field of racial,
131ethnic, or cultural studies or related disciplines, and individuals or organizations in the
132community from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. The review shall further
133include a report on best practices and recommended improvements to the standards. Such a
134report shall be submitted to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate and the
135chairs of the joint committee on education.