HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	27
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

urging the department of education to take necessary steps to reinforce instruction regarding american civics.

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's rate of voter participation is among the lowest in the nation; and

     WHEREAS, voter and citizen participation is vital for democracy to flourish now and in the future; and

     WHEREAS, low voter participation tends to indicate a lack of interest or lack of knowledge about government; and

     WHEREAS, the subject of American civics is not strongly emphasized in Hawaii's public school curriculum; and

     WHEREAS, a basic education in the history and origins of our constitutional democracy is essential to understanding the importance of our form of government and the importance of the role the individual citizen plays in that government; and

     WHEREAS, American civics is the bedrock of this basic education in government; and

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Constitution and state government are modeled on the United States Constitution and government; and

     WHEREAS, many students in Hawaii's public schools were born overseas in nations with various forms of government and would benefit from understanding the basics of American government; and

     WHEREAS, intermediate school students in grades seven and eight are typically in a phase of development where personal independence and self-governance are important personal issues, and they may therefore be particularly receptive to learning about the broader application of these concepts; and

     WHEREAS, a strong academic program of American civics in public schools can only enhance the whole of free society in Hawaii and in individual students in a reciprocal way; and

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, that the Department of Education is urged to emphasize and reinforce instruction regarding American civics; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to afford public school students a strong foundation in American civics before they enter high school; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to emphasize curriculum that includes the study of the Declaration of Independence as drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, the Constitution of the United States of America including the Bill of Rights, the history behind these documents, and an examination of why these documents are important to each person; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Public Education; American Civics; Instruction Emphasized