HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3360        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 542

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Tram T. Nguyen and Steven Ultrino

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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.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3360        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 542

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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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:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2XXXXX the following new section:-

Section 2XXXXX. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Racially Inclusive Curriculum Trust Fund. The fund shall be administered by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, grants and donations to further racially inclusive curriculum development in education and professional development. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund.

(b) Amounts credited to the fund may be expended, without further appropriation, by the commissioner for the following purposes: (i) to assist with the implementation of section 1R of chapter 69, (ii) for the development of racially inclusive curriculum frameworks within multiple disciplines and within the history and social science learning standards; (iii) for the development of materials and resources to enable school districts to implement a racially inclusive curriculum in their schools, (iv) for professional development training, (v) for collaboration and sharing of best practices among school districts, (vi) for collaboration with institutions of higher education and other stakeholder organizations; and (vii) for issuing grants under the grant program established in subsection (c) below.

(c) The commissioner may expend funds from the trust fund for a Racially Inclusive Curriculum in Education grant program. The grant program shall be developed and administered by the commissioner of education for all public schools and school districts to promote a racially inclusive curriculum within and across school districts. All grant applications shall include: (i) a statement of the prospective curriculum or program and the expected impact; (ii) a preliminary estimate of the cost; (iii) sustainability plan of execution of curriculum or program; and (iv) a mechanism for determining how the proposal may be effectively replicated in other school districts. The commissioner of education shall, from time to time, review and make recommendations on the improvement of the design, oversight or implementation of the grant program.

(d) The commissioner may facilitate the granting of funds and other resources to public schools and school districts, state colleges and universities, and community groups. The commissioner will ensure that every public school and school district has the opportunity to apply for grants. Programs eligible for these grants shall be used for the following purposes: (i) professional development training; (ii) for the review of current curricula and standards related to racially inclusive teaching; (iii) for the development of educational materials; (iv) for collaboration with institutions of higher education and other stakeholder organizations; and (v) for collaboration and sharing of model curricula, resources, and best practices with other districts and programs in order to support replication and dissemination of effective practices generated through the grant program.

(e) In expending amounts credited to the fund, the commissioner may prioritize: (i) underserved communities across the commonwealth, including those public schools or school districts with high concentrations of economically-disadvantaged students; (ii) communities that have experienced an incident motivated by racial, ethnic or religious bias; and (iii) schools implementing a racially inclusive curriculum and education models for the first time.

(f)  Amounts received from private sources shall be approved by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education and subject to review before being deposited in the fund to ensure that pledged funds are not accompanied by conditions, explicit or implicit, that would improperly shape or otherwise hinder the development and implementation of racially inclusive curriculum and instruction, or that would be detrimental to the neutral and rigorous teaching of racially inclusive teaching practices or unduly influence the direction of policies related to racially inclusive teaching. The review shall be made publicly available on the department’s website.

(g)  Public schools and school districts awarded funds pursuant to this section shall work with the commissioner of education and the commission to analyze the effectiveness of their initiatives in accordance with assessment measures established by the commission.

(h) Annually, not later than December 1, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on education and the house and senate committees on ways and means on the fund's activity. The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the source and amount of funds received; (ii) the amounts distributed and the purpose of expenditures from the fund, including but not limited to, funds expended to assist school districts in meeting the requirements in this section; (iii) any grants provided to institutions of higher education and other stakeholder organizations; and (iv) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections for the next year.

SECTION 2. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 1T the following new section:

Section 1U. (a) In all public schools, instruction shall be inclusive of all racial and ethnic groups and shall require the teaching of accurate histories, writings, and contributions of racial and ethnic groups that have been historically underrepresented or marginalized, including but not limited to Indigenous People; African Americans and the Black and African Diaspora; Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and Asian Diaspora; and Latino/a/x and people with Latin American heritage.

(i) Within academic standards across multiple disciplines required in section 1D of chapter 69, instruction in all grade levels shall include, but not be limited to: (1) studying literature, books and writings by authors from underrepresented groups, as well as art, music, film and other works from these groups, that will provide balanced narratives with multiple perspectives and offer insight into their experiences and cultural identities, (2) highlighting people from underrepresented groups who have made notable positive contributions in math, science, humanities, the arts and other disciplines, and the impact these contributions have had on society, and (3) learning about and fostering understanding of the ethnic and cultural identities, heritage, and customs of underrepresented groups and celebrating their contributions to a multicultural society.

(ii) In the history and social studies academic standards required in section 1D of chapter 69, instruction across grade levels shall aim to provide students an understanding of the unique and shared experiences of each racial group, including underrepresented and marginalized groups of people who may identify as having Indigenous, African, Asian, Latin, and Hispanic heritage in the United States. Instruction shall include, but not be limited to, analyzing and discussing: (1) the history of slavery and segregation and their impact on today’s society; (2) the impact of colonial settlement, land appropriation, western expansion, and creation of tribal reservations; (3) the impact of racial inequities and discriminatory and exclusionary policies and practices; (4) racial violence towards marginalized groups; (5) an understanding of stereotypes and the impact on conscious and unconscious bias; (6) the impact of U.S. immigration history, quotas, restrictions, and other policies; (7) other historical policies, practices and experiences and how they relate to current issues that are affecting racial and ethnic groups in contemporary society; (8) the impact of model minority myths; (9) the role that race plays in community diversity, geographic and economic mobility, and political and socio-economic status; (10) exploring trends in voter registration and civic participation relative to disenfranchised voter populations; and (11) pursuing opportunities to identify and debate issues relative to power and access, economic status, and democracy.

(b) A school district, charter school, approved private day or residential school or collaborative school shall incorporate standards for inclusive teaching of the history, writings, and contributions of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups established pursuant to section 1R and subsection (a) into existing curriculum including, but not limited to, language arts, history and social science, mathematics, performing and visual arts, science and technology, and world language.

(c) All lessons and teaching related to the curriculum must be appropriate for use with students of all races, religions, nationalities, genders, abilities, neurological profiles, sexual orientations, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as well as English language learners.

(d) In developing the framework standards pursuant to section 1R subsection (a), the department of elementary and secondary education shall seek input and feedback from community members from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, as well as experts in the field of racial, ethnic, and/or cultural studies or related disciplines. Any proposed changes to the standards shall be publicly available with opportunities for public feedback and said input shall be publicly available and considered in the development of standards.

(e) The department shall provide professional development opportunities for educators on the framework standards established pursuant to section 1R and subsection (a), and create tools aligned with the framework to support districts in the implementation process. Subject to funding, the department will facilitate the sharing of model curricula and resources from experts, educators, organizations, and other school districts with implementation experience. Additional support and outreach from the department may include statewide and regional trainings, meetings or conferences, including opportunities for districts and other stakeholders to assess and share evidence-based best practices in support of racially and culturally inclusive education and provide feedback and recommendations to the department.

(f)  Every three years the department shall hold a public review and issue a report on the implementation of the racially inclusive curriculum standards to ensure that instructional programs that include the histories, writings and contributions of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups are being offered in the commonwealth to students in kindergarten to grade 12. The general court may be petitioned to direct the commissioner of education to, subject to appropriation, convene a working group consisting of educators experienced in teaching curriculum related to racially and culturally inclusive education, experts in the field of racial, ethnic, or cultural studies or related disciplines, and individuals or organizations in the community from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. The review shall further include a report on best practices and recommended improvements to the standards. Such a report shall be submitted to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate and the chairs of the joint committee on education.