Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires instruction on racial discrimination, social justice, diversity, and inclusion within New Jersey school districts.

Highlights:

• Requires a board of education to include instruction on certain events in United States history which involve racial discrimination and social justice in an appropriate place in the curriculum (Sec. 1).

• Requires the instruction to include information on the following events (Sec. 1):

• The death of Emmit Till in 1955, the circumstances surrounding his death, and the events following his death including the role his death played as an important catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement;

• The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and the 1960s;

• Civil unrest stemming from racial discrimination that occurred during the 1990s including, but not limited to, the death of Rodney King and the ensuing riots that occurred in Los Angeles and California; and

• The death of George Floyd in 2020, the circumstances surrounding his death, including the international protests against an excessive police force that were triggered as a result of his death.

• Requires the Commissioner of Education to provide school districts with age-appropriate sample learning activities and resources designed to enhance students’ overall understanding of the aforementioned events (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text