Res. No. 620
Resolution calling on the New York City Department of Education to ensure that the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness is awarded in all New York City public high schools to eligible students
By Council Member Dinowitz
Whereas, The New York State Education Department (NYSED) defines “civic readiness” as “the ability to make a positive difference in the public life of our communities through the combination of civic knowledge, skills and actions, mindsets, and experiences”; and
Whereas, The NYSED defines the four domains of civic readiness as civic knowledge, including a knowledge of government, law, history, geography, culture, economics, and current events and an understanding of inequities in our system of federal, state, and local governments; civic skills and actions, including critical analytical, verbal, communication, and media literacy skills and participation in actions in and out of school; civic mindsets, including a commitment to democratic values and to an understanding of the responsibility of each individual to the larger group; and civic experiences, including active participation in experiences in and out of the classroom and across disciplines; and
Whereas, The New York State Seal of Civic Readiness (NYSSCR), approved by the New York State Board of Regents for statewide implementation in the 2022-2023 school year, recognizes students who have attained “a high level of proficiency” in the four domains of civic readiness, shows higher education institutions and employers that students have completed “an action project in civics or social justice,” and attests to the “value of civic engagement and scholarship”; and
Whereas, To earn the NYSSCR, a student must earn six points from a combination of various civic knowledge and participation benchmarks, such as earning four social studies credits, passing the Social Studies Regents Exam at the proficiency or mastery level, completing advanced social studies electives, carrying out a research project, completing a service-learning experience, conducting a high school civics capstone project, participating in an extracurricular activity or work-based learning experience, and more; and
Whereas, The NYSSCR also functions as a graduation pathway for New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE) high school students, offering an alternative to the fifth Regents exam for both Regents and local diplomas; and
Whereas, The New York State Court of Appeals held in 2003 that the New York State Constitution requires all students be provided with a high school education that will enable them to “function productively as civic participants capable of voting”; and
Whereas, According to the 2024 Voter Analysis Report by the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB), during the 2024 election year, NYC voters aged 18-29 turned out in low numbers, with only about 4 percent voting in the April presidential primary, about 5 percent in the June New York State and United States (U.S.) Congressional primary, and about 57 percent in the November general election; and
Whereas, According to the NYCCFB report, researchers at the Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University, found that DOE high schools in high- and average-income areas offered more diverse civic engagement courses and “greater access to experiential learning about civic engagement both in and outside of the classroom” than DOE high schools in low-income areas; and
Whereas, According to the Seal of Civic Readiness Handbook published by the DOE for the 2026-2027 school year, DOE high schools may voluntarily apply to award the NYSSCR; and
Whereas, This voluntary application framework disadvantages students enrolled in DOE high schools that do not apply to award the NYSSCR as they are excluded from the graduation pathway offered through the NYSSCR as well as the civic and academic enrichment involved in the process of earning a NYSSCR; and
Whereas, Disparities in appropriate staffing and program quality among DOE high schools further disadvantages students who are enrolled in DOE high schools with fewer advanced social studies electives, inadequate extracurricular activities, or schools without faculty members who are willing to serve on a NYSSCR School Committee that is required for schools seeking to award the NYSSCR; and
Whereas, The DOE has a responsibility to provide its students in all public high schools with equal access to academic opportunities, including access to the array of academic and extracurricular programs required for the NYSSCR and to the opportunity of earning the NYSSCR; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York City Department of Education to ensure that the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness is awarded in all New York City public high schools to eligible students.
LS #23202 and 25206
8/25/2026
RHP