HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 342        FILED ON: 1/8/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Vanna Howard and Sean Garballey

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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 concerning Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history education.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 342        FILED ON: 1/8/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 500 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act concerning Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history education.

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. There shall be included in the 2025-2026 school year curriculum and all subsequent curriculums learning, discussion, and exploration into the history of APIDA individuals, and their history relating to the United States. This instruction of both local and national history will serve to give all students a more comprehensive and accurate narrative of the US population as a whole. This instruction may be modified to fit the needs of an individual community but must fully comply with the criteria detailed in Section 4.

SECTION 2. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the APIDA History Education Trust Fund for the purpose of educating elementary, middle, and high school students on APIDA history. The commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall administer the fund to assist in promoting the teaching of human rights issues in all public schools and school districts. There shall be credited to the fund: (i) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, grants and donations to further APIDA history education; (ii) revenue from fines imposed for a hate crime or civil rights violation pursuant to section 37 or section 39 of chapter 265; and (iv) interest earned on money in the fund.

SECTION 3. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 99. (a) The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will update the state History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks for elementary, middle, and high school students to include the history of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans.

(b) APIDA history is the history of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans. The term encompasses a diverse group of identities, and refers to a US citizen or resident of Asian birth or descent.​ Updated curricula will include the political, economic, cultural, and social influence of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans as well as their individual contributions to science and technology, culture and the arts, and professions such as business, law, medicine, education, politics, and economics.

(c) Every school district shall, for the purpose of educating elementary, middle, and high school students, provide instruction on the history of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans as aligned to, but not limited to, the content standards articulated in the history and social science curriculum frameworks adopted by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

(d) Instruction on APIDA history shall be consistent within the History and Social Science Curriculum Framework to: (i) promote the teaching of diverse perspectives in all publicly funded schools and school districts, with particular attention to the study of the achievements of APIDA people; (ii) address how the history and patterns of prejudice and racism have impacted APIDA people; and (iii) reject the targeting of a APIDA populations and other forms of prejudice that can lead to systemic racism in an effort to be more anti-racist.

(e) The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall assist schools in providing instruction on the history of APIDA people by facilitating access to high-quality curricular materials.

(f) The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will provide training for educators in the teaching of APIDA history in person or through the use of synchronous audio, video, electronic media, or other telecommunications technology.

(g) Nothing in this section shall require a school district to require APIDA history instruction in every year of elementary, middle school, and high school; provided, however, that APIDA history education and instruction shall be utilized during appropriate times in elementary, middle, and high school curricula, as determined by the local school district and in conjunction with state curricular standards.

SECTION 4. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall annually assess whether each district is meeting the updated curricular standards with APIDA history set by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; if they assess that they are not already meeting the curricular standards, each district superintendent shall be expected to work with their history and social science departments to improve their curriculum to meet the standards. To do so, they may use funds provided by the APIDA History Education Trust Fund.

SECTION 5. Sections 1, 2, and 4 shall take effect for the school year beginning after July 1, 2025.