About | An Act Concerning the Inclusion of Black and Latino Studies in the Public School Curriculum

Legislative Background

In order to fulfill our legislative obligation, the work to develop the Black and Latino Course of Studies was organized into nine committees with specific tasks and timelines. The work of each committee was facilitated by a SERC Liaison to ensure seamless communication and workflow between committees.
A complete outline of committees can be found here.

Connecticut Public Act No. 19-12

This bill adds African-American and black and Puerto Rican and Latino studies to the required programs of study for public schools and requires all local and regional boards of education (“boards”) to include these topics in their curriculum beginning with the 2021-22 school year. As with other courses required under existing law, the State Board of Education (SBE) must make curriculum materials available to help boards develop their instructional programs.

The bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to review and approve, by January 1, 2021, a black and Latino studies high school course. Under the bill:

The State Education Resource Center (SERC) must develop the course,
SBE must make course curriculum material available,
boards may offer the course beginning with the 2021-22 school year, and
boards must offer the course beginning with the 2022-23 school year.

For the school years 2022-23 to 2024-25, SDE must conduct an annual audit to ensure that the black and Latino studies course approved under the bill is being offered by each board of education. SDE must annually submit a report on the audit to the Education Committee.

Source: OLR Bill Analysis sHB 7082 (cga.ct.gov) .

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Public Act No. 19-12
AN ACT CONCERNING THE INCLUSION OF BLACK AND LATINO
STUDIES IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM, is available on the Connecticut General Assembly website.

View the Legislation

SERC’s role in the legislation defined

“The State Education Resource Center (SERC) shall develop a Black and Latino studies course. Such course shall be one credit and offered at the high school level. In developing such course, the State Education Resource Center (SERC) may utilize existing and appropriate public or private materials, personnel and other resources, including, but not limited to, persons and organizations with subject matter expertise in African-American, Black, Puerto Rican or Latino studies, and the curriculum materials made available.”