Bill Alert HB 1879

The John McCoy (lulilaš) since time immemorial curriculum.

This bill recognizes John McCoy's efforts in supporting student and educator learning about the history, culture, and government of federally recognized Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest. McCoy's sponsorship of Substitute House Bill No. 1495 in 2005, initiated the incorporation of tribal history, culture, and government into social studies courses. This resulted in the development of instructional materials known as the "since time immemorial curriculum." This will be renamed to the John McCoy (lulilaš) since time immemorial curriculum.

• The bill mandates that when school districts review or adopt social studies curriculum, they must incorporate curricula about the history, culture, and government of the nearest federally recognized Indian tribe or tribes.
• School districts are required to collaborate with federally recognized Indian tribes and neighboring tribes to improve curricular materials about Indian tribes and create programs of classroom and community cultural exchanges. Additionally, collaboration with the office of the superintendent of public instruction is mandated for statewide curricular areas regarding tribal government and history.
• The bill also includes provisions for integrating environmental and sustainability content with curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It emphasizes collaboration with a Washington state-based qualified nonprofit organizations to support outdoor field studies, project-based learning, and work-based learning opportunities aligned with environmental sectors.
• The bill acknowledges the educational challenges faced by American Indian and Alaska Native students and emphasizes the importance of teaching American Indian language, culture, and history. It also highlights the need for state-tribal education compacts to address these challenges and improve educational outcomes for these students.

For the full bill alert, click here.

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