Minnesota Session Laws - 1990, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1990 

                        CHAPTER 595-S.F.No. 2160 
           An act relating to education; providing for the 
          environmental education act; creating the office of 
          environmental education; proposing coding for new law 
          as Minnesota Statutes, chapter 126A; repealing 
          Minnesota Statutes 1988, sections 116E.01; 116E.02; 
          116E.03, subdivisions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7a, 8, and 9; 
          and 116E.04; Minnesota Statutes 1989 Supplement, 
          sections 116E.03, subdivision 1; and 116E.035. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  [126A.01] [ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GOALS.] 
    The environmental education program described in this 
chapter has these goals for the pupils and other citizens of 
this state: 
    (1) to understand ecological systems; 
    (2) to understand the cause and effect relationship between 
human attitudes and behavior and the environment; 
    (3) to be able to analyze, develop, and use problem-solving 
skills to understand the decision-making process of individuals, 
institutions, and nations regarding environmental issues; 
    (4) to be able to evaluate alternative responses to 
environmental issues before deciding on alternative courses of 
action; 
    (5) to understand the potential complementary nature of 
multiple uses of the environment; 
    (6) to provide experiences to assist citizens to increase 
their sensitivity and stewardship for the environment; and 
    (7) to provide the information citizens need to make 
informed decisions about actions to take on environmental issues.
    Sec. 2.  [126A.02] [OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [DIRECTOR.] The director of environmental 
education is appointed by the commissioner of the state planning 
agency.  The director may initiate, develop, implement, 
evaluate, and market informal environmental education programs; 
shall promote state government and private sector policy that is 
consistent with the environmental education programs established 
in section 8; and may coordinate informal environmental 
education with the K-12 and post-secondary environmental 
education programs developed by the department of education and 
the state's post-secondary institutions. 
    Subd. 2.  [BOARD MEMBERS.] A 17-member board shall advise 
the director.  The board is made up of the commissioners of the 
state planning agency; department of natural resources; the 
pollution control agency; the department of agriculture; the 
department of education; the chair of the board of water and 
soil resources; the executive director of the higher education 
coordinating board; the executive secretary of the board of 
teaching; the director of the extension service; and eight 
citizen members representing diverse interests appointed by the 
governor.  The governor shall appoint one citizen member from 
each congressional district.  The citizen members are subject to 
section 15.0575.  Two of the citizen members appointed by the 
governor must be licensed teachers currently teaching in the 
K-12 system.  The governor shall annually designate a member to 
serve as chair for the next year. 
    Sec. 3.  [126A.03] [STAFF.] 
    The state planning agency shall provide staff and 
consultant support for the office of environmental education.  
The support must be based on an annual budget and work program 
developed by the director and certified to the commissioner of 
the state planning agency by the chair of the office's advisory 
board.  The director may request staff support from any other 
agency of the executive branch as needed to execute the 
responsibilities of the director. 
    Sec. 4.  [126A.04] [POWERS AND DUTIES.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [PLANNING.] The director may develop a plan 
and establish a continuing planning process to achieve the goals 
for environmental education.  The director may integrate the 
environmental education plans, strategies, and policies 
developed by the department of education and post-secondary 
institutions when developing their planning process and plan.  
    Subd. 2.  [LEGISLATION.] The director may review proposed 
legislation and funding requests relating to informal 
environmental education for consistency with the plan.  The 
director shall also develop with the department of education and 
post-secondary institutions a process for coordinating the 
development of K-12 and post-secondary environmental education 
legislation and funding requests with the plan.  
    Subd. 3.  [ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE.] The 
director may conduct an environmental education conference every 
other year to bring together the environmental education 
community to identify future issues, ascertain needs, and set 
priorities and goals.  The results of the conference may be used 
in revising the plan. 
    Subd. 4.  [ADVISORY COMMITTEES.] The director shall 
establish advisory committees and a process to receive input 
from committees and others on K-12, post-secondary, and informal 
environmental education programs and needs, priority issues, and 
target audiences. 
    Subd. 5.  [GRANTS.] The director may apply for, receive, 
and allocate grants and other money for environmental education. 
    Sec. 5.  [126A.05] [ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION COORDINATION 
PROCEDURES.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [COMMUNICATION.] The director may establish 
and maintain methods of communication between environmental 
education producers, distributors, and consumers to encourage 
effective and timely programs. 
    Subd. 2.  [TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.] The director may provide 
technical assistance to agencies and organizations for effective 
design and marketing of environmental education programs and for 
the writing of environmental education components in legislative 
proposals. 
    Subd. 3.  [MARKETING AND PUBLICITY.] The director may 
provide marketing and publicity for environmental education 
programs of other agencies and organizations, within the 
priorities developed in the plan. 
    Sec. 6.  [126A.06] [ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESOURCE 
CENTERS.] 
     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The director may establish 
environmental education resource centers throughout the state as 
needed.  The environmental education resource centers shall 
serve as a source of information and programs for citizens, 
provide ongoing contact with the public for feedback to the 
director on regional environmental education issues and 
priorities, and serve as distribution centers for environmental 
education programs. 
    Subd. 2.  [DUTIES.] The resource centers shall: 
    (1) implement the programs and priorities of the office as 
defined in the plan; 
    (2) convey regional program priorities to the director; 
    (3) evaluate regional implementation of environmental 
education programs and report to the director on the 
evaluations; 
    (4) provide regional liaison and coordination for 
organizations, agencies, and individuals providing environmental 
education programs on particular issues; 
    (5) be a distribution and publicity center for agencies, 
environmental organizations, environmental learning center 
publications, programs, and services; 
    (6) be a central source of information for citizens 
interested in issues that are the responsibility of many 
agencies, boards, task forces, and organizations; 
    (7) provide technical assistance to local and state 
organizations and agencies on program design, promotion, and 
publicity to reach the chosen target audiences; and 
    (8) assist the educational cooperative service units by 
collecting and distributing environmental education teaching 
materials, displays, computer programs, resource person lists, 
and audio/visual aids, and provide assistance with teacher 
training workshops and programs on request. 
    Sec. 7.  [126A.07] [RELATIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF 
EDUCATION.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [COOPERATION AND SUPPORT.] The director 
shall cooperate with and support the environmental education 
program developed by the state board of education and the 
department of education. 
    Subd. 2.  [LIST.] The cooperation and support must include, 
but is not limited to, the items mentioned in the list in this 
subdivision. 
    (a) The director shall encourage all environmental 
education programs developed for pupils and other citizens to 
strive for achievement of the goals and the environmental 
learner outcomes developed by the department of education. 
    (b) The regional resource centers shall collect, house, 
promote, and circulate environmental education materials, 
displays, audio/visual aids, and computer materials for use by 
the educational cooperative service unit environmental education 
coordinators. 
    (c) The resource centers shall evaluate, promote, and 
distribute to educators materials produced by other agencies and 
organizations. 
    Sec. 8.  [126A.08] [ESTABLISHMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL 
EDUCATION PROGRAM; CHARACTERISTICS; IMPLEMENTATION; IN-SERVICE.] 
    (a) The department of education shall assist in 
establishing environmental education programs in all public 
elementary and secondary schools. 
    (b) The environmental education program must be 
interdisciplinary, integrated into the curriculum, and outcome 
based. 
    (c) The program must be implemented through the department 
of education's learner outcome, assessment and feedback, and 
instructional processes. 
    (d) The department of education shall assist school 
districts, education districts, and other education 
organizations to develop environmental education policies that 
maximize the environmental education in-service teacher training 
in educational cooperative service unit regional offices. 
    Sec. 9.  [126A.09] [INTEGRATED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT 
MODELS.] 
    The department of education shall develop curriculum 
integration models for a learner outcome-based environmental 
education program.  The models must include: 
    (1) the specific environmental education and curriculum 
integration goals to be attained; 
    (2) the various options to achieve the goals; 
    (3) a hierarchy of learner outcomes composed of state 
learner goals; integrated learner outcomes; program learner 
outcomes; and course, unit, and lesson learner outcomes; 
    (4) mechanisms to communicate the models; 
    (5) an objective process to evaluate the progress to 
establish and implement a model integrated environmental 
education curriculum; 
    (6) alternatives to evaluate pupils' environmental 
education progress at the classroom level; and 
    (7) methods to assess pupils' environmental learning. 
    Sec. 10.  [126A.10] [RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SITES.] 
    (a) Sites selected under Laws 1989, chapter 329, article 7, 
section 21, or other school district sites may be used to 
demonstrate how environmental education outcomes can be 
integrated into a comprehensive education curriculum. 
    (b) The department of education, in consultation with the 
director, shall assist the research and development sites to 
plan and implement integrated environmental education programs. 
    Sec. 11.  [126A.11] [IN-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING.] 
    The department of education is responsible for in-service 
teacher training in environmental education.  
    Sec. 12.  [126A.12] [REPORTING.] 
    (a) Beginning June 30, 1992, the department of education 
shall submit a biennial report on its environmental education 
program to the legislature and the governor.  
    (b) The report must: 
    (1) describe the progress of environmental education 
learner outcome development and implementation in the public 
elementary and secondary schools; 
    (2) describe in-service involvement and assistance at the 
state and local level; 
    (3) evaluate the efforts of the research and development 
sites to implement integrated environmental learner outcome 
based education; and 
    (4) contain an implementation plan to assist school 
districts in the establishment of an environmental education 
program in all public elementary and secondary schools.  
    Sec. 13.  [REPEALER; SUCCESSOR IN AUTHORITY.] 
    (a) Minnesota Statutes 1988, sections 116E.01; 116E.02; 
116E.03, subdivisions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7a, 8, and 9; and 
116E.04; and Minnesota Statutes 1989 Supplement, sections 
116E.03, subdivision 1; and 116E.035, are repealed.  
     (b) The director of environmental education is a 
continuation of the Minnesota environmental education board with 
respect to the responsibilities in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 
116E, that have been continued and given to the office of 
environmental education by this act.  This continuation must be 
treated as a transfer of responsibilities under Minnesota 
Statutes, section 15.039. 
     Sec. 14.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
    This act is effective July 1, 1990. 
    Presented to the governor April 28, 1990 
    Signed by the governor May 3, 1990, 6:09 p.m.