Section 71301.

(a) As part of the unified education strategy specified in subdivision (c) of Section 71300, the office, in cooperation with the Secretary for Environmental Protection, the Natural Resources Agency, the State Department of Education, and the State Board of Education, shall develop education principles for the environment for elementary and secondary school pupils. The principles may be updated every four years beginning July 1, 2008. The principles shall be aligned to the academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 60605 of the Education Code. The principles shall be used to do all of the following:

(1) To direct state agencies that include environmental education components for elementary and secondary education in regulatory decisions or enforcement actions.

(2) To align state agency environmental education programs and materials that are developed for elementary and secondary education.

(b) The education principles for the environment shall include, but not be limited to, concepts relating to the following topics:

(1) Environmental sustainability.

(2) Water.

(3) Air.

(4) Energy.

(5) Forestry.

(6) Fish and wildlife resources.

(7) Oceans.

(8) Toxics and hazardous waste.

(9) Integrated waste management.

(10) Integrated pest management.

(11) Public health and the environment.

(12) Pollution prevention.

(13) Resource conservation and recycling.

(14) Environmental justice.

(c) The principles shall be aligned to the applicable academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education and shall not duplicate or conflict with any academic content standards.

(d) (1)  The education principles for the environment shall be incorporated, as the State Board of Education determines to be appropriate, in criteria developed for textbook adoption required pursuant to Section 60200 or 60400 of the Education Code in science, mathematics, English/language arts, and history/social sciences.

(2) If the State Board of Education determines that the education principles for the environment are not appropriate for inclusion in the textbook adoption criteria cited in paragraph (1), the State Board of Education shall collaborate with the office to make the changes necessary to ensure that the principles are included in the textbook adoption criteria in science, mathematics, English/language arts, and history/social sciences.

(e) If the content standards required pursuant to Section 60605 of the Education Code are revised, the education principles for the environment shall be appropriately considered for inclusion into part of the revised academic content standards.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 356, Sec. 37. Effective September 26, 2013.)