What's happening
This bill requires New York public schools to incorporate Indian Subcontinent/Indo-Caribbean studies into their curriculum starting July 1, 2018.
Why it matters
Expands Cultural Representation. By mandating instruction on the Indian Subcontinent and Indo-Caribbean histories and cultures, the bill aims to broaden students’ understanding of diverse communities, potentially reducing stereotypes and promoting inclusivity in New York schools.
Local Flexibility. The bill gives school districts the ability to adapt the curriculum content to their own needs and contexts, acknowledging that different communities may have unique educational priorities or demographic makeups.
State Oversight and Guidance. The Regents and Commissioner of Education are tasked with determining how this material is integrated and regulated, ensuring that the addition is meaningful and consistent with state educational standards while providing official resources and structure for schools.
Recognition of Underrepresented Groups. By specifically including Indo-Caribbean and Indian Subcontinent perspectives, the bill addresses gaps in the current curriculum, which may have previously overlooked the experiences of New York’s significant South Asian and Indo-Caribbean populations.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Teach Indo-Caribbean History
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Teach Indo-Caribbean Studies
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Tony Avella
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
632
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. M. G. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring public schools to incorporate instruction in Indian Subcontinent/Indo-Caribbean studies into the existing curriculum
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 801-b to read as follows:
§ 801-b. Education regarding Indian Subcontinent/Indo-Caribbean studies. 1. All public schools shall be authorized to include, as an integral part of social studies or literature, instruction regarding Indian Subcontinent/Indo-Caribbean studies. The content may be varied to meet the needs of particular school districts, or portions thereof, and need not be uniform throughout the state.
2. As used in this section, "Indian Subcontinent/Indo-Caribbean studies" means education regarding the history, literature and/or culture of groups of persons having origins in the Indian subcontinent.
3. The regents shall determine how to incorporate such component in existing curricula and the commissioner shall promulgate any regulations needed to carry out such determination of the regents and to establish a curriculum for instruction in Indian Subcontinent/Indo-Caribbean studies to be available in school districts.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all school years commencing on or after July 1, 2018.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00686-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.