As state Department of Education officials work to update school district guidance related to LGBTQ+ issues, state lawmakers are weighing taking the matter to the Legislature.
With just days left in the legislative session, lawmakers are considering updating the state education curriculum to mandate the teaching of LGBTQ+ history and awareness in all New York public school districts and charter schools.
Two proposed bills in the state legislature would change the state curriculum to mandate teaching politics and social impact that LGBTQ people have had throughout history. Both are part of their respective education committees.
One of the proposals, which most lawmakers support, would create a task force to study and recommend the best instructional materials for schools to teach about LGBTQ historical figures and lifestyles when appropriate.
Sponsor Rep. Daniel O’Donnell, who was the state’s first openly gay lawmaker, says the legislation aims to reduce hate by teaching children not to fear gays.
“LGBT people have been part of the fabric of Western culture for thousands of years,” he said. “And they don’t teach us that. I’ve never been taught that, but it’s true.”
The bill is gaining steam before the session ends June 8 after the state Democratic Caucus voted unanimously to recommend the curriculum mandate to the Legislature earlier this month.
Supporters say New York needs to counter actions taken in other states like Florida, which passed a law to ban discussing sexual orientation in schools last year.
“There’s this organized effort to dehumanize people like me and say we’re not part of the fabric of America and we’re not entitled to fair treatment,” O’Donnell said.
Nearly half of LGBTQ+ youth, including half of transgender youth, seriously considered attempting suicide between 2021 and 2022, according to a survey by The Trevor Project.
“Only about 20% of students in our public education system are taught anything positive about queer people during their K-12 education here in New York State,” said John Scott, member of the Queens Democratic Committee.
Democratic leaders of the state Democratic Committee first introduced the resolution vote to urge the Legislature to mandate the curriculum, saying they are concerned how Republicans will weaponize it against them or use it as a vehicle for misinformation Democrats are focused on working to regain control of the US House of Representatives in 2024, with their eyes on key New York districts.
At the meeting, Scott stood up and angrily pushed back against the faltering of other members of his party.
“Here’s the most important thing: This resolution is about the safety of our children,” he told the state committee. “… We’re letting Republicans dictate the conversation once again, just like they did with bail reform. We can, as New York Democrats, be leaders on this issue, or we can vote here and say we are same as [Gov.] Ron DeSantis and the Florida Republicans. If we’re worried about losing seats and we’re worried about elections, it baffles me that we’re not thinking about the future.”
Republican state lawmakers have criticized the proposed curriculum mandate, arguing it would sway young New Yorkers with a certain political philosophy. They also want more detail than their Democratic colleagues consider age-appropriate for students.
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt says the proposal is a misplaced priority for addressing education issues as the skills of American students continue to decline. and lag behind other developed countries.
“Our conference has been very concerned about the trend we’re seeing in state education policy,” Ortt said. “… We’re failing. We’re falling behind China and other countries, not because we’re not teaching about LGBTQ, it’s because we’re not teaching enough STEM, science, and code… Make no mistake. — this is the reason. It’s not because kids don’t know which bathroom to use or they don’t know what Pride Month is, it’s because we’re not teaching the tools and the education for our kids to go out and be successful.”
State Department of Education officials do not support curriculum mandate bills because New York is a local control state.
“NYSED is responsible for setting the New York State Learning Standards, which outline expectations for what all students should know and be able to do,” a department spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. The Department does not direct or create the curriculum, which has always been and continues to be determined at the local school district level.
Senator John Liu is sponsoring legislation to align instruction in public and charter schools with the Board of Regents’ Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education, or CRSE, framework to uplift a range of historically marginalized groups and cultures. SED supports the bill, which came out of the Senate Education Committee last week.
“Districts are expected to teach about the diversity of cultures representative of New York State (e.g., Native American, African American, Latino Studies, Asian American Studies, Gender Studies) in a comprehensive manner (e.g. . e.g., through grade). levels and not relegated to a specific month) and empowerment (eg, African-American history does not begin with slavery, but with African history)’,” according to SED officials. “Furthermore, this bill would require the Commissioner and the Department to update the NYS Learning Standards on an ongoing basis and provide technical assistance and resources to assist public schools in providing instruction that includes, but is not limited to: The history of diverse groups by race, social, class, gender, language, nationality, religion, and ability; the history and civic impact of Asian Americans, Native American peoples, African Americans, Muslim Americans, Hispanics , Latinos and Caribbean Americans, and the Holocaust.”
According to the department, SED will release its updated guidelines for school districts, including changes related to LGBTQ+ issues, in the coming weeks.
