S 6763: Requires instruction in civic education for grades 5 through 12 including instruction on the NYS constitution; federal, state and local government; civic literacy; methods of public participation; and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6763 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 24, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. JACKSON, MAY, RAMOS -- read twice and ordered print- ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring civic educa- tion courses for grades five through twelve The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 819 to 2 read as follows: 3 § 819. Instruction in civic education. 1. The commissioner shall 4 establish a curriculum for instruction in civic education in all schools 5 providing instruction to students in grades five through twelve. Local 6 boards of education and the chancellor of the board of education of the 7 city of New York may adopt their own curriculum upon the approval of the 8 commissioner. 9 2. Such instruction shall include, but shall not be limited to, 10 instruction on the New York state constitution; federal, state and local 11 government; civic literacy; methods of public participation; and the 12 rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Such curriculum shall have 13 an experiential, simulation, and project-based approach, including but 14 not limited to, mock trials; moot court; opportunities to identify and 15 debate issues relative to power, economic status and the common good in 16 democracy, advocacy, and community organizing; simulation based legisla- 17 tive hearings; and other role playing exercises that engage students in 18 the democratic process and that teach them how to be informed civic 19 actors in their communities. 20 3. The boards of education and trustees of the several cities and 21 school districts of the state shall require instruction to be given in 22 such course, by the teachers employed in the school therein. 23 4. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations outlining 24 the training of teachers providing such civic education instruction and 25 materials to be provided for such instruction. The board of education or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02620-01-5 
 S. 6763 2 1 trustees of every school district shall provide appropriate training and 2 curriculum materials, as promulgated by the commissioner, to such teach- 3 ers. 4 § 2. This act shall take effect two years after it shall have become a 5 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any 6 rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its 7 effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such 8 effective date.