Pupil instruction: course of study: social sciences: civic engagement.

Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, and the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to include certain areas of study, including, among others, social sciences. Existing law requires instruction in social sciences to provide a foundation for understanding, among other things, the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America. This bill, with respect to both of the above-referenced adopted courses of study, would explicitly require instruction in social sciences to also include civic engagement experiences with governmental institutions and instruction in principles of democracy and the State and Federal Constitutions. To the extent that this bill would create new duties for local educational agencies or local officials, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.