SAN JOSE, CA – On Wednesday, August 4, 2021, the Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) unanimously passed a resolution recognizing Constitution Day and California High School Voter Educations Weeks. Constitution Day is on September 17, 2021, which coincides with California High School Voter Education Weeks from September 13 - 24, 2021.
Each year, the last two weeks of April and September are designated by California Education Code to be observed as a time for County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and High School Principals to encourage civic education and participatory democracy amongst students.
The observance of Constitution Day is an opportunity for teachers to provide educational resources about the revered and living document and promote civil discourse.
SCCBOE passed this resolution in alignment with Secretary of State, Dr. Shirley Weber’s commitment to motivating young Californians to register to vote and advocate for their voices to be heard.
“The SCCOE and Santa Clara County Board of Education are dedicated to teaching youth to be informed citizens,” said Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mary Ann Dewan. “Through initiatives like The Power of Democracy, now in its fifth year, we are proud to partner with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters (SCCROV) to provide voter education, voter registration, and other election materials to all high schools in the region.”
In 2020, the SCCOE, in collaboration with SCCROV, League of Women Voters (LWV), Office of Women’s Policy (OWP), and the American Association of University Women (AAUW), visited about 60 schools and pre-registered around 1,000 high school students, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Santa Clara County not only has the 5th largest number of 16-17-year-olds pre-registered to vote in the state, but also saw a 20% increase in youth-eligible voter turnout in 2020.
“As we begin the 2021-2022 academic year, SCCOE and SCCROV will continue to partner to bring programs to K-12 classrooms that engage in voter education, specifically about Voting Rights in Santa Clara County,” said Santa Clara County Board of Education President, Claudia Rossi. “The County Superintendent of Schools and the SCCBOE recognize the value of this observance and are grateful for the opportunity to support our educators in lessons around the U.S. Constitution and the democratic process.”
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About the Santa Clara County Office of Education
Working collaboratively with school and community partners, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is a regional service agency that provides instructional, business, and technology services to the 31 school districts of Santa Clara County. The County Office of Education directly serves students through special education programs, alternative schools, Head Start and State Preschool programs, migrant education, and Opportunity Youth Academy. The SCCOE also provides academic and fiscal oversight and monitoring to districts in addition to the 22 Santa Clara County Board of Education authorized charter schools.
For more information about the Santa Clara County Office of Education, please visit www.sccoe.org and follow us @SCCOE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.