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REFERENCE TITLE: textbooks; representation; disabilities; sexual orientation |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-fifth Legislature Second Regular Session 2022
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SB 1540 |
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Introduced by Senators Alston: Bowie, Hatathlie; Representatives Andrade, Hernandez M, Longdon
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AN ACT
amending sections 15-721 and 15-722, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to school curricula.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-721, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-721. Common schools; course of study; textbooks; approval; selection; definition
A. The governing board shall approve for common schools the course of study, the basic textbook for each course and all units recommended for credit under each general subject title prior to implementation of before implementing the course.
B. If any course does not include a basic textbook, the governing board shall approve all supplemental books used in the course prior to approval of before approving the course.
C. If any course includes a basic textbook and uses supplemental books, the governing board may approve all supplemental books and teaching aids, including instructional computer software, that are used in the course prior to approval of before approving the course.
D. If the course includes a basic textbook and uses supplemental books that have not been approved by the governing board at the time of approval of the course, a teacher may use the supplemental books at any time during the school year. Use of the supplemental books shall be brought to the attention of the governing board during the school year in which they are added for ratification.
E. Notwithstanding any other law, subsections B and C of this section do not apply to supplemental books used in courses or programs instituted pursuant to article 4 of this chapter.
F. The governing board shall:
1. Enforce the course of study and select all textbooks used in the common schools and purchase the textbooks from the publishers. District school funds monies may be budgeted and expended spent by the governing board for teaching aids, including instructional computer software. For courses that do not require that each student have a textbook other than for classroom instruction, the school district need only purchase one textbook for each student in the largest group that would be receiving classroom instruction at any one time.
2. Require that all meetings of committees authorized for the purposes of textbook review and selection be open to the public as prescribed in title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1.
3. Make available at the school district office for review by the public, for a period of sixty days prior to formal selection of before selecting textbooks, a copy of each textbook that is being considered for selection.
G. The governing board may not approve or select any textbook or other instructional material pursuant to this section that contains any matter reflecting adversely on persons on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, nationality, sexual orientation or gender identity.
G. H. For the purposes of this section, "textbook" means printed instructional materials or digital content, or both, and related printed or nonprinted instructional materials, that are written and published primarily for use in school instruction and that are required by a state educational agency or a local educational education agency for use by pupils in the classroom, including materials that require the availability of electronic equipment in order to be used as a learning resource.
Sec. 2. Section 15-722, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-722. High schools; course of study; textbooks; approval; definition
A. The governing board shall approve for high schools the course of study and all units that are recommended for credit under each general subject title before implementing the course.
B. The governing board shall approve for high schools the basic textbook for each course and may purchase the textbooks from the publishers if approved by the governing board. Before the approval of approving any basic textbook for high schools, the governing board shall do all of the following:
1. Provide information on the school district's website, if the school district maintains a website, on the basic textbooks that are proposed for approval.
2. Require that all meetings of committees authorized for the purposes of textbook review and selection approval be open to the public pursuant to title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1.
3. Provide an opportunity for public comment for at least sixty days. Public comment may include written comments, oral comments and comments submitted through e-mail email.
4. Make available at the school district office for review by the public, for a period of at least sixty days prior to the formal selection of before approving the textbooks, a copy of each textbook that is being considered for selection approval.
C. If any course does not include a basic textbook, the governing board shall approve all supplemental books that are used in the course before usage.
D. If any course includes a basic textbook and uses supplemental books or instructional computer software, the governing board may approve all supplemental books and instructional computer software that are used in the course before usage.
E. If the course includes a basic textbook and uses supplemental books that have not been approved by the governing board at the time of approval of the course, a teacher may use the supplemental books at any time during the school year. Use of the supplemental books shall be brought to the attention of the governing board during the school year in which they are added for ratification.
F. The governing board shall prescribe up to five textbooks for each course, and the teacher, with the consent of the governing board, may use any one of the prescribed textbooks for the purposes of the teacher's course.
G. The governing board may not approve any textbook or other instructional material pursuant to this section that contains any matter reflecting adversely on persons on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, nationality, sexual orientation or gender identity.
G. H. For the purposes of this section, "textbook" means printed instructional materials or digital content, or both, and related printed or nonprinted instructional materials, that are written and published primarily for use in school instruction and that are required by a state educational agency or a local educational education agency for use by pupils in the classroom, including materials that require the availability of electronic equipment in order to be used as a learning resource.