"The Board of Regents, New York's agency that oversees the state's Education Department and supervises education policies, introduced an amendment this week that would implement climate education as a high school graduation requirement," reports Chalkbeat (November 5, 2025).
The amendment (PDF, p. 5) would revise the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education to require instruction in climate change for elementary students by the end of grade 4, middle school students by the end of grade 8, and high school students by the end of grade 12.
If the amendment is adopted, the climate change education requirements would go into effect starting in the 2027-2028 school year for middle and high school students, and starting in the 2028-2029 school year for elementary students.
To support implementation of the new requirements, the state department of education would provide guidance for districts. including specifying broad topics such as causes of climate change, impacts of climate change, and solutions for climate change.
The amendment will receive comments from the public for a 60-day period, expected to start on November 19, 2025, following which it will then return to the Board of Regents for a final vote at its March 2026 meeting.
"Some climate organizations, however, are concerned about whether the state will adequately fund the initiative," according to Chalkbeat. The National Wildlife Federation's Climate & Resilience Education Task Force is lobbying Governor Kathy Hochul to fund staff in the department of education to help implement the amendment.
