SP0310, LD 1050, item 5, ‘An Act To Require Education about African-American History and the History of Genocide’

Amend the amendment by striking out the substitute title and replacing it with the following:

‘An Act To Require Education about African-American History and the History of Genocide’

Amend the amendment by striking out all of section 1 and inserting the following:

‘Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §4706, as amended by PL 2009, c. 313, §§8 and 9, is further amended to read:

§ 4706. Instruction in American history, African-American studies, Maine studies, Maine Native American history and genocide

Instruction in American history, African-American studies, government, citizenship and , Maine studies and the history of genocide must be aligned with the parameters for essential instruction and graduation requirements established under section 6209.

1. American history. American history, government and citizenship, including the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, the importance of voting and the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship, must be taught in and required for graduation from all elementary and secondary schools, both public and private. A required component of American history is African-American studies, which must be included in the review of content standards and performance indicators of the system of learning results conducted in accordance with section 6209, subsection 4. African-American studies must address African-American cultural systems and the experience of African-Americans throughout history, including, but not limited to, topics such as precolonial indigenous ethnic populations, African-American genocide, the Underground Railroad, emancipation, Reconstruction, the Great Migration, Jim Crow laws, the civil rights movement, the so-called war on drugs, the federal War on Poverty initiative and mass incarceration.

2. Maine studies. Maine history, including the Constitution of Maine, Maine geography and environment and the natural, industrial and economic resources of Maine and Maine's cultural and ethnic heritage, must be taught. A required component Required components of Maine studies is are Maine Native American studies and Maine African-American studies, which must be included in the review of content standards and performance indicators of the learning results conducted in accordance with section 6209, subsection 4. The Maine Native American studies must address the following topics:

A. Maine tribal governments and political systems and their relationship with local, state, national and international governments;

B. Maine Native American cultural systems and the experience of Maine tribal people throughout history;

C. Maine Native American territories; and

D. Maine Native American economic systems.

3. Genocide. The history of genocide, including the Holocaust and African-American genocide, must be taught and must be included in the review of content standards and performance indicators of the system of learning results conducted in accordance with section 6209, subsection 4. For purposes of this subsection, "Holocaust" is the program of discriminatory and genocidal laws, policies or actions targeted against discrete groups of individuals based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical disability or national origin, from January 1, 1933 to December 31, 1945, in Nazi Germany or in any European country allied with or occupied by Nazi Germany. "African-American genocide" means discriminatory genocidal laws, policies or actions targeted against African-Americans and indigenous ethnic populations throughout history, including slavery, lynching, economic disenfranchisement and other state-sanctioned killings.

Sec. 2. Development of curriculum; advisory groups. The Department of Education shall identify curricular themes, resources and materials for teaching African-American history and culture, including Maine African-American history and culture, and the history of genocide in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 4706, subsection 1. The department shall also identify educators in the State who are implementing model approaches to teaching African-American history and culture and the history of genocide and highlight these educators in the distributed materials.

In order to collect information and prepare materials under this section for the teaching of African-American history and culture, the department shall convene a volunteer advisory group that includes scholars on African-American history and culture, representatives from African-American civil rights organizations in the State, African-American history and cultural organizations and the Gerald E. Talbot Collection at the University of Southern Maine and members of the public with knowledge, life experience or educational backgrounds that would inform the collection of information and preparation of materials.

In order to collect information and prepare materials under this section for the teaching of the history of genocide, the department shall convene a volunteer advisory group that includes scholars on the Holocaust and genocide studies, representatives of civil and human rights organizations and the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine and members of the public with knowledge, life experience or educational backgrounds that would inform the collection of information and preparation of materials.’

Amend the amendment by inserting after section 2 the following:

‘Sec. 3. Effective date. That section of this Act that amends the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 4706 takes effect July 1, 2020.’

Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.

SUMMARY

This amendment requires that African-American history and culture be taught in schools, aligned with the parameters for essential instruction and graduation requirements and included in the review of content standards and performance indicators of the system of learning results. This amendment directs the Department of Education to convene 2 volunteer advisory groups to collect information and prepare and make available materials for teaching African-American history and culture and the history of genocide in accordance with this legislation.

This amendment also provides that the addition of African-American history and the history of genocide to the school curriculum takes effect July 1, 2020 so as to be in effect for the 2020-2021 school year.

FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED

(See attached)

SP0310 LD 1050	Session - 129th Maine Legislature H "A" to C "A", Filing Number H-485, Sponsored by Talbot Ross		LR 2072 Item 5
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