On Board Online • November 24, 2025
By Sara Foss
Special Correspondent
Should all New York students be required to understand the causes of climate change, the impact of climate change on the world and the solutions and actions people can take to address climate change? Two neighboring states, New Jersey and Connecticut, already mandate climate education.
At the November meeting of the Board of Regents, officials with the State Education Department (SED) proposed requiring climate education for students in K-12 in the next few years.
The proposed amendment to Regulations of the Commissioner of Education would also require personal finance instruction for New York students.
Under the proposal, climate education would be required beginning in the 2027-28 school year for students in grades 5-12. For students in K-4, the requirement would take effect in 2028-29.
Instruction would be provided to elementary school students by the end of grade four, to middle school students by the end of grade eight and to high school students by the end of grade 12.
"High-quality climate education ensures students graduate informed, empowered and ready to engage in environmental stewardship," said Santosha Oliver, assistant commissioner in SED's Office of Standards and Instruction. "Many districts are already advancing this vision through diverse, climate-related opportunities."
Climate education is included in NY Inspires, SED's plan for overhauling graduation requirements. The first phase of implementation, adopting a new Portrait of a Graduate, was completed in July. Adopting the climate education amendment represents a shift to phase two of the plan, which calls for redefining credits and expanding learning experiences.
Under NY Inspires, Regents exams would become optional, and graduates would be permitted to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in other ways, such as completing capstone projects. The shift is part of a broader vision to make education in New York more practical and hands-on.
During the 2024-25 school year, 561 New York schools offered some form of climate education to a total of 135,830 students, according to SED.
At their November meeting, the Regents were briefed on approaches used by a school in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn.
Harbor Middle School was a struggling elementary school, P.S. 676, before transitioning into a middle school with a project-based curriculum that focuses on climate education in the fall of 2022. Math and science are paired in an interdisciplinary STEM course, while English language arts and social studies are combined. The curriculum involves a series of four- to eight-week projects called missions.
In one project, seventh graders created a map of Red Hook, which juts out into Upper New York Bay. "Through the process of creating this map, students recognize that Red Hook is a neighborhood that has been, and will continue to be, disproportionately impacted by coastal flooding and extreme heat," said teacher Lynn Shon.
Another project, Environmental Justice in a Box, tasked students with transforming decommissioned shipping containers, which are a familiar sight in Red Hook, a port community. Ideas included using the containers to distribute hydroponically grown food and to monitor air and harbor water quality. Students built models, tested insulation materials, developed energy and cost budgets and debated which materials and renewable energy sources would be most sustainable.
The school then obtained a decommissioned shipping container and received grant funding to paint a bird mural on the container raising awareness of climate-threatened species in the New York Harbor ecosystem. A second grant enabled them to grow food in the container, which generated 100 pounds of fresh produce last year. A third grant enabled the school to cut a service window in the container so students can distribute the produce.
"We're not just doing whatever we want," Shon said. "We are using the state standards and really thoughtfully pairing them across subject areas and creating pretty awesome projects."
Climate-related courses already offered in New York include advanced placement and international baccalaureate classes, earth and environmental sciences classes, agriculture and natural resources classes and electives on topics such as eco-tourism or energy and the environment.
Under the proposed amendment, schools would be able to provide climate education through standalone courses or embed it in other courses and subject matter.