BILL NUMBER: AB 717	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Cook and Ma
   (Principal coauthor: Senator Yee)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Block, Carter, Furutani, Gilmore,
Hagman, Huffman, Krekorian, Lieu, Nestande, Portantino, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Torlakson, and Yamada)

                        FEBRUARY 26, 2009

   An act to amend Section 51221.4 of the Education Code, relating to
public school instruction.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 717, as introduced, Cook. Public school instruction: social
science: World War II: Filipinos.
   Under existing law, the adopted course of study for grades 7 to
12, inclusive, is required to include instruction in social science.
Schools are authorized to include instruction on World War II and the
American role in that war in their social science instruction.
Existing law encourages that instruction to include a component drawn
from personal testimony of American soldiers who were involved in
World War II and those men and women who contributed to the war
effort on the homefront. School districts are required to implement
the encouraged instruction in a manner that does not result in the
imposition of new duties or programs.
   This bill would encourage instruction in social science for grades
7 to 12, inclusive, to include instruction on World War II and the
role of Filipinos in that war.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 51221.4 of the Education Code is amended to
read:
   51221.4.  (a) The Legislature encourages instruction in the area
of social  sciences   science  , as
required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220,  which
may   to  include instruction on the Vietnam
 war   War  including the "Secret War" in
Laos and the role of Southeast Asians in that war. The Legislature
encourages  that  this instruction  to 
include, but not be limited to, a component drawn from personal
testimony, especially in the form of oral or video history
  histories  of Southeast Asians who were involved
in the Vietnam  war   War  and those men
and women who contributed to the war effort on the homefront. The
oral histories used as a part of the instruction regarding the role
of Southeast Asians in the Vietnam  war   War
 and the "Secret War" in Laos shall exemplify the personal
sacrifice and courage of the wide range of ordinary citizens who were
called upon to participate and provide intelligence for the United
States. The oral histories shall contain the views and comments of
their subjects regarding the reasons for their participation in the
war. These oral histories  shall  also  shall
 solicit comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath of
the war and the immigration of Southeast Asians to the United
States. 
   (b) (1) The Legislature encourages the instruction required
pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220 to include instruction
on World War II and the role of Filipinos in that war consisting of
an accurate history of the contributions of the Filipino American
veterans who fought courageously in the United States Army for
freedom and democracy in World War II, under the leadership of
General Douglas MacArthur.  
   (2) The Legislature encourages the instruction described in
paragraph (1) to include a component drawn from personal testimony,
especially in the form of oral or video histories of Filipinos who
were involved in World War II and those men and women who contributed
to the war effort on the homefront. The oral histories used as a
part of the instruction regarding the role of Filipinos in World War
II are encouraged to do all of the following:  
   (A) Exemplify the personal sacrifice and courage of the wide range
of ordinary citizens who were called upon to participate and to
provide intelligence for the United States.  
   (B) Contain the views and comments of their subjects regarding the
reasons for their participation in the war.  
   (C) Solicit comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath
of the war and the immigration of Filipinos to the United States.
 
   (b) 
    (c)    This section shall be carried out in a
manner that does not result in  any   the
imposition of  new duties or programs  being imposed
 on the school district. In that regard, the Legislature
finds and declares that this section does not mandate costs to local
agencies or school districts and that materials used to comply with
this section shall be part of normal curriculum materials purchased
by school districts in their normal course of business and purchasing
cycles.