SECTIONS 51280-51284 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 51280-51284

51280. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) There are profound personal and financial implications for
Californians associated with the average life expectancy steadily
increasing toward 100 years of age.
(2) The savings rate among "boomers" continues to drop, while
their cumulative debt continues to rise.
(3) A majority of workers choose to "cash out" of their employment
savings plans when changing jobs, rather than transferring the
accounts upon job changes and maintaining their savings in these
accounts.
(4) It is estimated that 40 to 50 percent of "boomers" will likely
find themselves living their later years in financial hardship.
(5) Californians should be financially prepared for, and aware of,
the lifelong health issues associated with later life.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that
will result in the education of all Californians regarding our
prospect of becoming an "aging" state, including education as to all
of the following:
(1) The changes we can expect in the later years of our lives.
(2) The changes we can expect of a society that is growing older.
(3) How we can be better prepared to sustain ourselves and our
society in the coming years.
(4) The financial realities of living for a century.
(5) The importance of saving and financial planning.
(6) The financial benefits of healthful living and disease
prevention.
(7) A new vision of aging, thereby dispelling ageist myths.
(8) An understanding of chronic disease and illness, with an
emphasis on disease prevention and health in later life.

51282. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation
to establish educational requirements in order to instill in
California's youth a sense of importance about lifelong financial
planning and preparation, including, among other things, the costs of
health care, in a much-extended later life.
(b) Educational institutions have developed a model curriculum in
lifelong healthy aging and financial preparedness, with materials,
free of charge, for the Superintendent of Public Instruction to
disseminate to school teachers at the local level.
(c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall make this
existing curriculum available to teachers, using materials that are
currently available at no cost, with information and links provided
through the Internet, in order to provide to students in grades 7 to
12, inclusive, instruction on human growth, human development, and
financial preparedness.

51284. After January 1, 2003, and concurrently with, but not prior
to, the next revision of text books or curriculum frameworks in the
social sciences, health, and mathematics curricula, the State Board
of Education shall ensure that these academic areas integrate
components of human growth, human development, and human contribution
to society, across the life course, and also financial preparedness.