HARRISBURG – Two PA state senators want to expand education and confront the rise in bias crimes against people of Asian American and Pacific Islander or AAPI descent. Montgomery County Sen. Maria Collett and Philadelphia County Sen. Nikil Saval have introduced Senate Bill 839 which would incorporate AAPI curriculums and materials in PA schools. The Keystone State ranked seventh for hate incident reports against AAPI individuals filed between March 2020 and December 2021. Florida, which ranked eighth, became the latest state to pass AAPI-inclusive legislation into law in May 2023. The bill will be a companion to Dauphin County Rep. Patty Kim’s House Bill 779 and would require the Department of Education to create an integrated curriculum that includes AAPI persons, history, and contributions to American society and to provide AAPI-related materials to schools. The bill would also commission a study by the State Board of Education to see how PA school districts are teaching AAPI curriculum across the state.
SEN. NIKIL SAVAL
SEN. MARIA COLLETT