Temperance and Good Citizenship Day is a civic observance in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, established in 1923 and principally intended for observance in the state's schools. Temperance and Good Citizenship Day occurs annually on January 16, except for years in which January 16 is a "non-school day" in which case it occurs on the preceding Friday.

History

The

Washington State Legislature The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...

established Temperance and Good Citizenship Day in 1923 with a statute that was subsequently codified as section 28A.230.150 of the

Revised Code of Washington The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is the compilation of all permanent laws currently in force in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Temporary laws such as appropriations acts are excluded. It is published by the Washington State S ...

(RCW). The law established the date of the observance and mandated that the schools of the state use it to educate students about "the biographies of great leaders in temperance and good citizenship". In 1969, the wording of the original law was amended to specify that "the state superintendent of public instruction shall duly prepare and publish for circulation among the teachers of the state a program for use on ... emperance and Good Citizenship Day... embodying topics pertinent thereto and may from year to year designate particular laws for special observance". In 2013, a bipartisan group of legislators introduced Senate Bill 5753, which was designed to minimize the number of mandates of public schools in observance of lesser-known requirements of state law. Among other things, the law would have repealed the mandate that schools celebrate Temperance and Good Citizenship Day. The bill not only did not advance out of committee, but a competing piece of legislation was simultaneously enacted such that public schools in the state were expected to increase their Temperance and Good Citizenship observances by holding

voter registration In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise eligible to vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted to vote. The ru ...

drives for eligible students on this date. In a Sept. 23, 2013, memorandum to educators, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy I. Dorn offered this guidance on observance:

The original language of the 1923 Washington State law included specific language regarding education of the effects of alcohol and drug use; however this language was removed when the law was revised in 1969. While many interpret “temperance” to mean prohibition, as defined above, instruction on “temperance” may include information about prohibition, but it is not a specific requirement of the law. The 2013 Legislature added the expectation that Temperance and Good Citizenship Day include opportunities in our schools for eligible students to register to vote at school. Many districts recognize this day by discussing temperance in connection with good citizenship, specifically addressing self-restraint. This idea of self-restraint is closely tied with many of the activities associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. For example, a district may choose to discuss the accomplishments of peaceful, nonviolent protests in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. With the 2013 addition, schools will be encouraged to support eligible students to register to vote.

Along with

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than di ...

and

Disability History Month Disability History Month is an annual, month-long observance of the history of the disability rights movement, and commemoration of the achievements of disabled people, that occurs in some places. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, an unofficia ...

, Temperance and Good Citizenship Day is one of three civic observances for which schools in Washington state are required by the RCW to provide educational programming.

References

{{reflist, 30em State holidays in the United States Washington (state) culture

History

See also

References