From the ECS State Policy Database Curriculum--Environmental Education

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary OR Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Establishes the Environmental Literacy Task Force; directs the task force to develop an Environmental Literacy Plan for students in the State. Chapter 772 http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measpdf/hb2500.dir/hb2533.en.pdf Title: H.B. 2544 Source: http://www.leg.state.or.us/ TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Abolishes the Texas Environmental Education Partnership Fund. http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB02748F.pdf Title: H.B. 2748 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet PA Signed into law 07/2008 P-12 Amends the Environmental Education Act. Provides for the establishment of the Center for Environmental Education and the Center for Environmental Education Board. Relates to k-12 environmental curriculum standards, adult environmental education, and higher education. Creates the Environmental Education Fund. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2007&sessInd=0&billBody=S&billTyp=B&billNbr=0356&pn=1098 Title: S.B. 356 Source: http://www.legis.state.pa.us WA Signed into law 04/2007 P-12 Declares an intent to establish an outdoor education and recreation program to provide a large number of underserved students with quality opportunities to directly experience the natural world. It is the intent of the program to improve students' overall academic performance, self-esteem, personal responsibility, community involvement, personal health, and understanding of nature. Further, it is the intent of the program to empower local communities to engage students in outdoor education and recreation experiences. http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/1677-S2.PL.pdf Title: H.B. 1677 Source: http://www.leg.wa.gov WY Signed into law 02/2007 P-12 Postsec. Community College Establishes the Wyoming Conservation Corps at the University of Wyoming to begin in the summer of 2007, and be patterned after similar conservation corps programs in Utah, Montana and Colorado where students have performed service on conservation projects in those states; allows program participants to be high school, community college or university students. http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2007/Enroll/SF0085.pdf Title: S.B. 85 Source: http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2007/bills.htm MI Signed into law 05/2006 P-12 Establishes criteria for the designation of a school as a green school. Schools are eligible to receive a designation as green school if they meets 10 of the following criteria: (1) recycles paper; (2) reuses its magazines and newspapers for other projects, (3) has adopted an endangered species animal from one of several organizations and posted a picture of the animal in a main traffic area, (4) the media center updates its print and nonprint ecological materials regularly(5) an energy savings program has been instituted at the school, (6) students participate in a planned program of energy savings, including dusting coils on cafeteria refrigerators, placing film on windows, setting hot water heaters 1 degree lower, seeing how plants and trees strategically placed can save energy for the school, and checking proper inflation on bus tires and other school vehicles once a month, (7) has hosted a visit by an ecological spokesperson, a representative of the sierra club, an endangered animals species show, or a similar presentation, (8) has a birdhouse habitat project, (9) has established a natural Michigan garden project with native plants, (10) has solar power presentations or experiments, such as a solar cookout, (11) classes do energy audits of their classrooms and make improvements, (12) has a printer cartridge recycling program through which the school earns money by selling the cartridges to companies, (13) recycles batteries and has designated a representative to return them to an appropriate recycling program, (14) recycles cellular telephones and receives money for the telephones from recycling companies, (15) observes earth day in some way in April, (16) art classes have a poster contest to support ecology concerns and a schoolwide display in conjunction with earth day activities, (17) has science class projects in which students do several home energy improvements, such as turn down hot water heaters, install home window insulation kits, clean coils on home refrigerators, and install draft guards for doors, (18) has an ecology club, (19) classes visit internet sites where clicking saves rainforest habitat and teachers document the students' efforts. (20) sets a goal of 5% less energy usage in the school and works with local power utilities to see progress toward the goal. http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/publicact/pdf/2006-PA-0146.pdf Title: H.B. 5554 Source: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/publicact/pdf/2006-PA-0146.pdf AR Signed into law 03/2005 P-12 Allows grant funds for fish and wildlife conservation education to be distributed to conservation districts in addition to school districts. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2005/public/SB394.pdf Title: S.B. 394 Source: www.arkleg.state.ar.us CA Vetoed 09/2004 P-12 Eliminates the requirement imposed on school district governing boards to include certain environmental education materials as part of the adopted instructions materials. Provides that a contribution to the Environmental Education Account will satisfy the requirement for an entity receiving a permit from a regional water quality control board or the State Water Resources Control Board to provide elementary and secondary public schools with storm water pollution educational materials. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1651-1700/ab_1696_bill_20040825_enrolled.html Veto message: http://www.governor.ca.gov/govsite/pdf/vetoes/AB_1696_veto.pdf Title: A.B. 1696 Source: California Legislative Web site VA Signed into law 04/2004 P-12 Green schools program; education programs to promote waste reduction and resource efficiency. Authorizes the state board to assist local school boards in the development and implementation of programs of instruction that comply with the provisions of Standard 1 of the Standards of Quality, specifically relating to citizenship and environmental issues and geography necessary for responsible participation in American society and the international community, by cooperating with the environmental groups, other relevant state agencies, such as, but not limited to, the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health, and other stakeholders in the development of a green schools program for Virginia. Any such green schools program will focus on waste reduction through recycling and other mechanisms and educating students to help schools contain costs and to reduce waste production through resource efficiency. In the development and implementation of any such program, the Board must examine other states' green schools programs and must receive input from parents, teachers, school administrators, school boards, business and industry leaders, and local governments. The Board must also strive to identify businesses and other organizations that may provide support in the form of resources or funding for appropriate awards for any green schools program that may be implemented in the Commonwealth. This provision must not be construed to require the Board or any school board in the Commonwealth to implement a green school program or to imply or otherwise indicate that state or local funding is required to develop or implement any green school program. http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?041+ful+CHAP0882 Title: S.B. 315 Source: http://leg1.state.va.us CA Signed into law 10/2003 P-12 Establishes the Outdoor Environmental Education Program to foster stewardship of the environment and an appreciation of the importance of the wise use of natural resources. Requires the Department of Education administer the program and, according to a priority system to be developed by the department, select applicants for participation in the program pursuant to specified criteria. Requires a contracted evaluator to evaluate the program. The program and its evaluation will be implemented only if the Department of Finance determines that private funds are available to cover the costs of the program and its evaluation. Bill makes provisions inoperative on July 1, 2005, and repeal them on January 1, 2006. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1301-1350/ab_1330_bill_20031003_chaptered.html Title: A.B. 1330 Source: California Legislative Web site CA Signed into law 10/2003 P-12 Establishes the Office of Education on the Environment. Requires the office to develop education principles for the environment for elementary and secondary school pupils, to develop a model curriculum and to submit the curriculum for approval. Requires the curriculum be available electronically. Relates to the adoption of instructional materials for environmental education. Establishes the Environmental Education Account. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1501-1550/ab_1548_bill_20030910_enrolled.html http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1501-1550/ab_1548_bill_20031003_chaptered.html Title: A.B. 1548 Source: California Legislative Web site IA Signed into law 04/2002 P-12 Adds one nonvoting student member to state board, making total board membership 10, provides for application process and appointment of student member. Also requires school districts and nonpublic schools to report number of ninth graders who do not graduate from the school or school district, as well as the number of students who are tested on multiple assessment measures to determine student achievement levels, and the percentage of students who are so tested annually. Requires the board to develop and adopt uniform definitions consistent with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and any federal regulations adopted pursuant to the federal Act. Permits department to conduct school site visits of accredited schools and districts on as-needed basis. Addresses conditions of employment of Superintendent staff. Addresses procedures in open enrollment law. Renders provision of school breakfast programs optional rather than mandatory. Modifies section addressing parental reimbursement for nonpublic school pupil transportation. Regulates the provision of textbooks to students in accredited nonpublic schools. Modifies requirements for school bus drivers' licenses. Establishes a conservation education program board and the duties of said board. http://www.legis.state.ia.us/GA/79GA/Legislation/HF/02500/HF02515/Current.html Title: H.B. 2515 Source: www.legis.state.ia.us CA Vetoed 09/2000 P-12 Requires the State Department of Education, in consultation with the California Integrated Waste Management Board and the State Department of Conservation to establish a program to award grants and provide incentives to school districts and county offices of education to implement source reduction and recycling programs. Requires the board to establish criteria and procedures for the purpose of applying for, evaluating, and awarding these grants. Title: A.B. 2553 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet AZ Signed into law 04/2000 P-12 Relates to environmental education; changes the make up of Arizona Advisory Council on Environmental Education; expands eligibility for grants for environmental education sites; modifies the definition of environmental education. Title: S.B. 1379 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet