underrepresented communities; instruction; public schools

Plain English Breakdown

The bill allows but does not require schools to incorporate the specified instruction.

Teaching About Underrepresented Communities in Schools

This bill allows Arizona public schools to include accurate information about the history, contributions, and civic participation of underrepresented groups like Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in their social studies curriculum.

What This Bill Does

• Allows school districts and charter schools to incorporate historically accurate instruction on underrepresented communities into their existing social studies courses or civics, U.S. history, or Arizona history classes.
• Defines 'underrepresented communities' as including Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander groups for the purposes of this law.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public school students in Arizona
• School districts and charter schools in Arizona

Terms To Know

Underrepresented communities

Groups of people who have historically not been well-represented or included in educational materials, such as Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how schools must incorporate the instruction into their curriculum.
• It is unclear what resources will be provided to help schools implement this requirement.

Official Summary Text

SB1182 - underrepresented communities; instruction; public schools

Current Bill Text

SB1182 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
underrepresented communities; instruction; public schools

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1182

Introduced by

Senator
Kavanagh

AN
ACT

amending title 15, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-701.05; relating to school
curricula.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 15, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-701.05, to read:

START_STATUTE
15-701.05.

Instruction on underrepresented communities; definition

A. A school district or charter
school may incorporate into the school district's or charter school's minimum
course of study, in the area of social studies or into one or more existing
courses on civics, United States history or Arizona history, historically
accurate instruction on the history, contributions and civic participation of
communities that have been historically underrepresented.�

B. For the purposes of this section,
"communities that have been historically underrepresented" includes
Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.

END_STATUTE