BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: ACR 144
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|Author: | Mullin |
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|Version: | February 24, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: June 8, 2016 |
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|Urgency: | No | Fiscal: | Yes |
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|Consultant:| Olgalilia Ramirez |
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Subject: Public schools: character education
SUMMARY
This measure urges the State Board of Education, county offices
of education, and local school governing bodies to increase
emphasis on character, citizenship, ethics, and the humane
treatment of living creatures in order to promote a humane and
compassionate society.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1) Requires that each teacher endeavor to impress upon the
minds of the students the principles of morality, truth,
justice, patriotism, and a true comprehension of the
rights, duties, and dignity of American citizenship, and
the meaning of equality and human dignity, including the
promotion of harmonious relations, kindness toward domestic
pets and the humane treatment of living creatures, to teach
them to avoid idleness, profanity, and falsehood, and to
instruct them in manners and morals and the principles of a
free government.
(Education Code § 233.5)
2) Encourages each teacher to create and foster an environment
that encourages students to realize their full potential
and that is free from discriminatory attitudes, practices,
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events, or activities, in order to prevent acts of hate
violence.
(EC § 233.5)
ANALYSIS
This measure urges the State Board of Education, county offices
of education, and local school governing bodies to increase
emphasis on character, citizenship, ethics, and the humane
treatment of living creatures in order to promote a humane and
compassionate society. Specifically this measure:
1) Makes findings as to the legislative interest in and
history of character education and the importance of
character education to our society and economy, and the
links between character, good citizenship, ethics, good
leadership, academic achievement and school climate.
2) Resolves that the legislature urges the State Board of
Education (SBE), county offices of education, and local
school governing bodies to increase emphasis on character,
citizenship, ethics, and the humane treatment of living
creatures in order to promote a humane and compassionate
society.
3) Resolves that the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit
copies of this resolution to the SBE, the Superintendent of
Public Instruction, boards of education and administrators
of county offices and school districts and to the author
for distribution.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for this measure. According to the author, character
education programs in schools have a positive effect on
children. Character education programs in schools help
promote common values and behaviors, such as respect,
responsibility, justice, leadership, and teamwork. The
author emphasizes, character education programs that
incorporate the humane treatment of animals into their
education curriculum also encourage good character,
citizenships, and ethics.
This measure promotes the importance of character education
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in public schools.
2) Character education in public schools. Current law requires
each teacher to impress upon pupils the principals of
morality, truth, justice, patriotism, and a comprehension
of the rights, duties and dignity of American citizenship
and human dignity, including the promotion of harmonious
relations, kindness toward domestic pets and the humane
treatment of living creatures. The California Department of
Education provides various resources for incorporating
character education into a standards-based educational
system and further encourages schools to recognize October
as Character Education Month.
3) Related and prior legislation.
HR 28 (Dababneh, 2016) encourages the Superintendent of
Public Instruction to ensure the incorporation of humane
education in the core curriculum, and resolves that
compliance with existing law regarding humane education
should include educating students on principles of kindness
and respect for animals. This measure was adopted by the
Assembly.
ACR 55 (Mullin, Chapter 145, Statutes of 2008) almost
identical to this resolution, encouraged the SBE, county
offices of education, and local school governing bodies to
evaluate and increase their emphasis on character,
citizenship, and ethics education.
SB 811 (O'Connell 2002) would have required that the
promotion of compassion and respect for both humans and
animals be considered in the next cycle in which the
science, and history/social science curricula frameworks
and the accompanying instructional materials are adopted.
This measure was held in the Assembly.
AB 2028 (Correa, 2000) required the State Board of
Education (SBE) to survey and report findings on character
education programs implemented by school districts and
county offices by January 1, 2002. AB 2028 was held in the
Senate Appropriations Committee.
SUPPORT
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City of Palo Alto
Palo Alto Humane Society
OPPOSITION
None received.
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