Regular Session 2019-2020 House Bill 0434 P.N. 2743

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 421

PRINTER'S NO. 2743

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No.

434

Session of

2019

INTRODUCED BY SOLOMON, GROVE, T. DAVIS, HILL-EVANS, MURT,

SCHLOSSBERG, CALTAGIRONE, MEHAFFIE, RABB, ULLMAN, JAMES,

YOUNGBLOOD, DRISCOLL, SAYLOR, FREEMAN, ISAACSON, NEILSON,

WEBSTER, STURLA, ROEBUCK, FRANKEL, KORTZ, OTTEN, BURGOS AND

KENYATTA, FEBRUARY 11, 2019

AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, OCTOBER 21, 2019

AN ACT

Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An

act relating to the public school system, including certain

provisions applicable as well to private and parochial

schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the

laws relating thereto," in certification of teachers,

providing for a cultural awareness COMPETENCE continuing

professional development course.; AND, IN TERMS AND COURSES

OF STUDY, FURTHER PROVIDING FOR HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND HUMAN

RIGHTS VIOLATIONS INSTRUCTION.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known

as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a

section to read:

Section 1218. Cultural Awareness COMPETENCE Continuing

Professional Development Course.--(a) The Department of

Education DEPARTMENT shall develop and implement a continuing

professional education course on cultural awareness COMPETENCE

that may be used by professional educators to satisfy the

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requirements of section 1205.2. :

(1) PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS TO SATISFY THE REQUIREMENTS OF

SECTION 1205.2.

(2) SCHOOL OR SYSTEM LEADERS TO SATISFY THE REQUIREMENTS OF

SECTION 1205.5.

(3) PARAPROFESSIONALS TO SATISFY STAFF DEVELOPMENT

REQUIREMENTS UNDER 22 PA. CODE § 14.105 (RELATING TO PERSONNEL).

(b) The Department of Education DEPARTMENT shall develop the

continuing professional education course in a manner which

provides professional educators with information and strategies

which can be incorporated into instruction and general

interactions with students in order to encourage students to

become more culturally aware COMPETENT .

RESEARCH-BASED AND include training on the following:

(1) Information and strategies to encourage students to

become more culturally aware COMPETENT , and to reject ethnic,

cultural and religious biases.

(2) Resolving disputes between students that result from

ethnic and cultural disputes.

(3) Resolving disputes between students that result from

religious biases.

(4) The dynamics of prejudice and discrimination that impede

effective learning.

(5) Civil rights awareness.

(6) Intellectual, physical and behavioral disability

awareness.

(d) Continuing professional education course materials may

include the following:

(1) Materials that educate students in cultural sensitivity

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by introducing the students to various cultures.

(2) Teaching aids that allow students to explore cultures

through food, art, books, movies, dance, traditions and cross-

cultural experiences.

(3) Resources that allow students to explore the cultural

experience of other people, their history, present-day

experiences and connection to the American culture and fabric of

our land.

(4) Educational aids that provide students with information

on the cultural experiences of the inhabitants of this

Commonwealth, the inhabitants' experiences arriving in this

Commonwealth and development over the years.

(e) By July 31, 2020, and each July 31 thereafter, the

Department of Education DEPARTMENT shall submit to the

chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education Committee

of the Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of

the Education Committee of the House of Representatives a report

which shall include:

(1) The number of professional educators that have enrolled

in the continuing professional education course.

(2) The number of professional educators that have completed

the continuing education course.

(3) The number of schools SCHOOL ENTITIES that have

implemented classroom instruction in cultural awareness.

(4) Any issues that professional educators, administrators,

students or the Department of Education DEPARTMENT have

identified and need to be addressed.

(f) The course established under subsection (a) shall be

voluntary, offered online and at no cost to professional

educators.

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(g) For the purpose of this section, the term "professional

educator" shall mean an individual who holds a Pennsylvania

teacher, educational specialist or administrative certification

or letter of eligibility.

(G) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REVIEW THE TRAINING MATERIALS EVERY

FIVE (5) YEARS AND ISSUE REVISIONS IF NECESSARY TO ENSURE BEST

PRACTICE IN THE FIELD.

(H) THE DEPARTMENT MAY APPROVE OTHER PROVIDERS OF CONTINUING

EDUCATION AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT THAT MEETS THE CRITERIA OF THIS

SECTION.

(I) FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBSECTION:

"CULTURAL COMPETENCE" SHALL MEAN THE ABILITY TO INTERACT

EFFECTIVELY WITH PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT CULTURES, INCLUDING THE

FOLLOWING:

(1) AWARENESS OF A PERSON'S OWN CULTURAL WORLDVIEW.

(2) ATTITUDE TOWARDS CULTURAL DIFFERENCES.

(3) KNOWLEDGE OF DIFFERENT CULTURAL PRACTICES AND

WORLDVIEWS.

(4) CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS.

"CULTURE" SHALL MEAN AN INDIVIDUAL'S UNDERSTANDING AND

OBSERVANCE OF SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG AND BETWEEN

CULTURAL GROUPS. THE TERM INCLUDES THE INTEGRATED PATTERNS OF

HUMAN BEHAVIOR SUCH AS THOUGHTS, COMMUNICATIONS, ACTIONS,

CUSTOMS, BELIEFS, VALUES AND INSTITUTIONS OF RACIAL, ETHNIC,

RELIGIOUS OR SOCIAL GROUPS.

"DEPARTMENT" SHALL REFER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF

THE COMMONWEALTH.

"PARAPROFESSIONAL" SHALL MEAN AN INSTRUCTIONAL

PARAPROFESSIONAL WITHIN THE MEANING OF 22 PA. CODE § 14.105

(RELATING TO PERSONNEL).

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"PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR" SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS

PROVIDED UNDER SECTION 1205.2.

"SCHOOL ENTITY" SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS PROVIDED UNDER

SECTION 1205.2.

"SCHOOL OR SYSTEM LEADERS" SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS

PROVIDED UNDER SECTION 1205.5.

SECTION 2. SECTION 1554 HEADING, (A), (B) AND (C) OF THE ACT

ARE AMENDED TO READ:

SECTION 1554. HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

VIOLATIONS AND CULTURAL AWARENESS INSTRUCTION.--(A) (1)

BEGINNING WITH SCHOOL YEAR 2015-2016, EACH SCHOOL ENTITY MAY

OFFER INSTRUCTION IN THE HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

VIOLATIONS TO STUDENTS. BEGINNING WITH SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021,

EACH SCHOOL ENTITY MAY OFFER INSTRUCTION IN CULTURAL AWARENESS.

THE INSTRUCTION SHALL BE INTEGRATED WITHIN THE SOCIAL STUDIES

AND LANGUAGE ARTS COURSES OF STUDY REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULATIONS. INSTRUCTION MAY ALSO BE

INTEGRATED INTO OTHER APPROPRIATE COURSES OF STUDY.

(2) THE [HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS]

INSTRUCTION PERMITTED PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (1) SHALL:

(I) BE AGE APPROPRIATE.

(II) BE SEQUENTIAL IN METHOD OF STUDY.

(III) COMMUNICATE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NATIONAL, ETHNIC,

RACIAL [OR], RELIGIOUS OR CULTURAL INTOLERANCE AND THE SUBJECTS

DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (B).

(IV) COMMUNICATE THE IMPACT OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY,

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIETAL RESPONSE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE

SUBJECTS DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (B).

(3) SCHOOL ENTITIES MAY UTILIZE ANY APPROPRIATE PUBLIC OR

PRIVATE MATERIALS, PERSONNEL AND OTHER RESOURCES IN DEVELOPING

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AND IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION PERMITTED PURSUANT

TO PARAGRAPH (1). THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL DISTRIBUTE

INFORMATION ABOUT APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM MATERIALS TO EACH

SCHOOL ENTITY. SCHOOL ENTITIES MAY UTILIZE ANY CURRICULUM THAT

COMPLIES WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SUBSECTION.

(B) (1) THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL ESTABLISH

CURRICULUM GUIDELINES [NO LATER THAN TWELVE (12) MONTHS AFTER

THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION] TO FOSTER IMPLEMENTATION OF

THIS SECTION BY SCHOOL ENTITIES. THE GUIDELINES SHALL ENCOURAGE

THE INCLUSION OF ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS WHERE APPROPRIATE

IN THE INSTRUCTION:

(I) THE BREADTH OF THE HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST, INCLUDING

THE THIRD REICH DICTATORSHIP, CONCENTRATION CAMP SYSTEM,

PERSECUTION OF JEWS AND NON-JEWS, JEWISH AND NON-JEWISH

RESISTANCE AND POST-WORLD WAR II TRIALS.

(II) THE DEFINITION, HISTORY, RESPONSE AND ACTIONS TAKEN IN

THE FACE OF GENOCIDE, INCLUDING THE HOLOCAUST AND ANY OTHER

GENOCIDE PERPETRATED AGAINST HUMANITY, INCLUDING THE RWANDAN

GENOCIDE AND OTHER GENOCIDES COMMITTED IN AFRICA, ASIA AND

EUROPE.

(III) HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.

(IV) ANTI-SEMITISM, RACISM AND THE ABRIDGMENT OF CIVIL

RIGHTS.

(V) CULTURAL AWARENESS AND REJECTION OF ETHNIC, CULTURAL AND

RELIGIOUS BIASES.

(VI) RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES THAT RESULT FROM ETHNIC AND

CULTURAL DISPUTES AND RELIGIOUS BIASES.

(2) THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL WORK IN CONSULTATION

WITH ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS THAT PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL

EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES RELATED TO THE HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND

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HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS TO DEVELOP THE CURRICULUM GUIDELINES.

THE GUIDELINES SHALL STATE THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF INSTRUCTION

NECESSARY TO ADEQUATELY EDUCATE STUDENTS ON THE HOLOCAUST,

GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND ON CULTURAL AWARENESS.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL MAKE AVAILABLE, TO ALL SCHOOL

ENTITIES, IN-SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAMS BASED UPON THE

INSTRUCTION PROVIDED FOR UNDER SUBSECTION (A) AND THE CURRICULUM

GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (B).

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Section 2 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

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