H-1376.2 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2010
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1991 Regular Session
By Representatives Moyer, Hochstatter, Day, Morris, Betrozoff, Wineberry, Orr, Leonard, Forner, Casada, Vance, Nealey, D. Sommers, Winsley, Rasmussen, Chandler, Mitchell and P. Johnson.
Read first time February 19, 1991. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to an annual award for teaching ethics in kindergarten through grade twelve education; adding new sections to chapter 28A.625 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds a compelling interest in promoting the development and implementation of effective programs in ethics for students in kindergarten through grade twelve. The legislature recognizes the importance for young people to understand and appreciate the need for a sound set of values and principles consistent with their own and others' well-being; the need for ethical values that are essential to the maintenance of a democratic society; and the contribution of ethical behavior to competence and responsibility in the work place and home. The purpose of this act is to recognize superior ethics education programs designed by teachers and incorporated into their regular curriculum.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. An ad hoc committee of legislators is established for the sole purpose of implementing an award program for teachers who develop, integrate, and teach an ethics curriculum in the classroom. The committee shall give two awards each year for entries that are innovative, creative, effective, and practical. One award, for one thousand dollars, will go to a teacher in an urban area, and the other award, for one thousand dollars, will go to a teacher in a rural area.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The committee is composed of eight members from the legislature: Four appointed by the president of the senate, two from each major caucus and two who serve on the education committee; and four appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, two from each major caucus and two who serve on the education committee. The governor shall appoint the superintendent of public instruction or his or her designee, the director of the higher education coordinating board or his or her designee, and a president of a four-year college or his or her designee to serve in an ex officio capacity.
(2) The committee shall meet no later than September 1991. The duties of the committee will be to establish the awards program, including the definitions of urban and rural areas, write rules, solicit entries, judge entries, select the winners, and plan and carry out the awards ceremony. The chair is elected from and by the committee. Future meetings are set by the chair as appropriate to review entries and make awards.
(3) The legislative members will serve for two years.
(4) The committee is staffed jointly by legislative staff and staff from the office of the superintendent of public instruction.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) In addition to the qualities set out in section 2 of this act and established by the committee in section 3 of this act, ethics education programs are judged on how the following criteria are addressed:
(a) Human individuality, dignity, and worth;
(b) Fairness and equity;
(c) Honesty, including telling the truth and keeping one's word;
(d) Responsibility for personal decisions and conduct;
(e) Personal and social responsibility;
(f) Community and the common good;
(g) Justice;
(h) Equality of opportunity;
(i) Respect for oneself and others;
(j) Empathy for, and sensitivity to, the feelings of others;
(k) Cooperativeness;
(l) Freedom, autonomy, and liberty; and
(m) Courage.
(2) Award winning programs will provide training in cognitive and critical thinking skills necessary for sound judgment in matters of ethical conduct, including the following abilities to:
(a) Recognize and think clearly about relevant general principles applicable to a fact pattern presenting an ethical question;
(b) Engage in appropriate means of resolving factual disputes;
(c) Imagine realistically and recognize the consequences of one's actions;
(d) Recognize when a claim is reasonable or unreasonable in relation to the supporting arguments; and
(e) Understand and listen to the reasons for points of view other than one's own.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The committee shall announce the first awards in December 1993 and each following December, and make the presentations during the second week of the upcoming legislative session.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Sections 2 through 5 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.625 RCW.