S 5405 New York Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Requires hate crime awareness curriculum or instruction for school districts

This bill requires New York school districts to implement age-appropriate hate crime awareness curriculum. It directs the education commissioner, with input from the Division of Human Rights, to develop content covering discrimination, religious intolerance (including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia), and positive actions for inclusion. Schools may integrate this into existing social studies or other curricula, without requiring statewide uniformity. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, after enactment.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 21, 2025 Last action Jan 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S5405 → S5405A · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill changes from requiring schools to optionally adopt model hate crime materials to mandating that schools include hate crime awareness curriculum or instruction as part of their social studies curriculum. The change shifts the requirement from optional model materials that schools could choose to adopt to required curriculum that must be included in social studies instruction.

Scope change

Changed from optional model materials for elective adoption to required curriculum/instruction component of social studies

REQUIREMENT

Changed from optional model materials that schools may adopt to required curriculum or instruction that schools must include

Changed from elective adoption by schools or school districts to inclusion as a component of social studies curriculum

Added flexibility allowing curriculum content to be varied to meet needs of particular school districts rather than being uniform throughout the state

Changed section title from 'Model hate crime awareness materials' to 'Hate crime awareness curriculum or instruction'

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jan 7, 2026

Committee

REFERRED TO EDUCATION

upper

Feb 25, 2025

Upper · Passed

PRINT NUMBER 5405A

upper

Feb 25, 2025

Upper · Passed

AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO EDUCATION

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Committee

REFERRED TO EDUCATION

upper

1 primary · 10 co-sponsors