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Written Testimony Submitted to the Connecticut General Assembly Education Committee in
Support of H.B. 5285: An Act Concerning the Public School Curriculum
March 4, 2022
To the Honorable Co-Chairs Representative Sanchez and Senator McCrory, Vice Chairs,
Ranking Members, and distinguished members of the Education Committee:
We write from the Collaborative Center for Justice, a Catholic social justice advocacy
organization, primarily sponsored by six Congregations of Women Religious across the state.
We write in support of H.B. 5285: An Act Concerning the Public School Curriculum, and our
testimony will focus on the climate education component of the bill.
We believe that all schoolchildren in Connecticut public schools should have access to sciencebased climate education. Science curriculum should align with the Next Generation Science
Standards so that every child will be adequately prepared to engage in employment, higher
education, or other endeavors in a world marked by a rapidly changing climate. We will need
our children to understand climate change in order for them to understand what can be done
about it, and more specifically, how they can contribute to solutions.
At the Collaborative Center for Justice, our mission is to advocate for policies that improve the
lives of low-income and other marginalized people, and to educate individuals about social
justice issues. We believe that education about an issue is an important foundation for further
engagement on the issue. Equal access to climate education in public schools is important so
that all children can develop a comprehensive, factual foundation on this topic.
Education is empowering. If people do not know about a problem, how can they envision a
solution? How can they envision themselves as people who can make a valuable impact? We
need to equip children with the knowledge that will be necessary to address the complex crises
facing humanity. One of the Catholic teachings that ground the work of the Collaborative Center
is a strong commitment to caring for creation. Learning about climate science can be an on-ramp
to developing a sense of connection to, and care for, the rest of creation.
Our society needs as many creative, educated, inspired people as possible working on strategies
to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Ensuring that all children, and especially
children in communities that are already feeling the impacts of climate change, have access to
science-based climate education is important not only for the sake of children’s learning, but also
for the wellbeing of the residents of Connecticut and the global community. We ask that state
leaders pay special attention to ensuring that this curriculum reaches low-income students and
Black, brown and other students of color so that there is truly equitable access.
Including climate education in required science curriculum in public schools is important in
order to help close the opportunity gap, further environmental justice, and protect the
environment. It is necessary to educate children about the science of climate change, the role
humans play in accelerating climate change, ways to increase climate resilience, ways to lower
our greenhouse gas emissions, and provide equal access to climate change information to truly
equip students with the tools and knowledge they will need for the future.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on this bill.
Sincerely,
Dwayne David Paul – Director
Rachel Lea Scott, MSW – Associate Director
