Res 0451-2026

Res. No. 451 ..Title Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.9298 and a companion bill in the Senate, which would enact the "Next-Gen Civics Act," providing hands-on, project-based civic education to students in grades nine through 12 ..Body By Council Members Zhuang, Wong, Morano, Maloney, Louis, Thomas-Henry, Restler, Dinowitz and Vernikov Whereas, As American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson wrote, "If a nation expects to be ignorant & free... it expects what never was & never will be," that is, the health of a democracy depends on an informed and engaged electorate; and Whereas, New York State ("NYS" or "State") Education Law �801-a requires "instruction in civility, citizenship, and character education" in grades kindergarten through twelve ("K-12"), but does not mandate a rigorous, experiential civic education at the high school level; and Whereas, During the 2024-25 school year, the New York City ("NYC" or "City") Department of Education (DOE) Civics for All initiative reached 622,638 students across more than 20,000 K-12 classrooms in 29 school districts; and Whereas, Yet, this initiative exists without a statewide legislative mandate to ensure equity and sustainability across all NYC communities; and Whereas, The NYS Education Department has established a Seal of Civic Readiness, a designation on student diplomas signifying demonstrated civic knowledge and participation through experiential learning, but participation among schools remains voluntary and uneven; for the graduating class of 2024-25, 7,855 students across 166 DOE schools earned the Seal of Civic Readiness; and Whereas, Research from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University has found that young people who receive high-quality civic education are significantly more likely to vote, volunteer, and engage in their communities as adults; and Whereas, Young New Yorkers remain among the least civically engaged eligible voters in the City; the NYC Campaign Finance Board reported that turnout among voters under 30 reached only 3.7% in the April 2024 primary (compared to 6.6% generally) and 5% in the June 2024 primary (compared to 10.1% generally); and Whereas, A.9298, sponsored by State Assembly Member William Colton, would enact the "Next-Gen Civics Act," providing mandatory education to students in grades nine through 12 in civic education through hands-on, project-based curriculum where students apply what they learn through active civic engagement; and Whereas, The Next-Gen Civics Act takes an experiential and action-oriented approach to civic learning, consistent with best practices identified by leading education researchers and organizations, including Generation Citizen, iCivics, and the National Council for the Social Studies, that emphasize that simulation-based and project-based civic learning produces deeper and more durable civic knowledge than lecture-only instruction; and Whereas, Ensuring that all high school students in the State receive a meaningful, participatory civics education is a matter of educational equity, democratic health, and the long-term vitality of NYC; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.9298 and a companion bill in the Senate, which would enact the "Next-Gen Civics Act," providing hands-on, project-based civic education to students in grades nine through 12. CGR LS #22198 04/10/2026 2:05 PM