Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4093 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: White H.B. No. 4093
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to civics instruction public school students and
7	7	instruction policies in public schools.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
10	10	adding Subsections (h-1), (h-2), and (h-3) to read as follows:
11	11	(h-1) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the
12	12	social studies curriculum, the State Board of Education shall adopt
13	13	essential knowledge and skills that develop each student's civic
14	14	knowledge, including an understanding of:
15	15	(1) the fundamental moral, political, and
16	16	intellectual foundations of the American experiment in
17	17	self-government, as well as the history, qualities, traditions, and
18	18	features of civic engagement in the United States;
19	19	(2) the structure, function, and processes of
20	20	government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels;
21	21	and
22	22	(3) the founding documents of the United States,
23	23	including the Declaration of Independence, the United States
24	24	Constitution, the Federalist Papers (including but not limited to
25	25	Essays 10 and 51), excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy
26	26	in America, the first Lincoln-Douglas debate, and the writings of
27	27	the Founding Fathers of the United States.
28	28	(h-2) In the instruction of the essential knowledge and
29	29	skills for the social studies curriculum, in applicable courses of
30	30	Texas, United States, and world history, government, civics, social
31	31	studies, or similar subject areas:
32	32	(1) no teacher shall be compelled by a policy of any
33	33	state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter
34	34	school, or school administration to discuss current events or
35	35	widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy
36	36	or social affairs;
37	37	(2) teachers who choose to discuss current events or
38	38	widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy
39	39	or social affairs shall, to the best of their ability, strive to
40	40	explore such issues from diverse and contending perspectives
41	41	without giving deference to any one perspective;
42	42	(3) no school district or teacher shall require, make
43	43	part of a course, or award course grading or credit including extra
44	44	credit for, student work for, affiliation with, or service learning
45	45	in association with any organization engaged in lobbying for
46	46	legislation at the local, state or federal level, or in social or
47	47	public policy advocacy; and
48	48	(4) no school district or teacher shall require, make
49	49	part of a course, or award course grading or credit including extra
50	50	credit for, political activism, lobbying, or efforts to persuade
51	51	members of the legislative or executive branch to take specific
52	52	actions by direct communication at the local, state or federal
53	53	level, or any practicum or like activity involving social or public
54	54	policy advocacy.
55	55	(5) No teacher, administrator, or other employee in
56	56	any state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter
57	57	school, or school administration shall be required to engage in
58	58	training, orientation, or therapy that presents any form of race or
59	59	sex stereotyping or blame on the basis of race or sex.
60	60	(6) No teacher, administrator, or other employee in
61	61	any state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter
62	62	school, or school administration shall shall require, or make part
63	63	of a course the following concepts: (1) one race or sex is
64	64	inherently superior to another race or sex; (2) an individual, by
65	65	virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or
66	66	oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously; (3) an
67	67	individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse
68	68	treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex; (4)
69	69	members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat
70	70	others without respect to race or sex; (5) an individual's moral
71	71	character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex; (6)
72	72	an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears
73	73	responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members
74	74	of the same race or sex; (7) any individual should feel discomfort,
75	75	guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on
76	76	account of his or her race or sex; or (8) meritocracy or traits such
77	77	as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a
78	78	members of a particular race to oppress members of another race.
79	79	(h-3) No private funding shall be accepted by state
80	80	agencies, school district, campuses, open-enrollment charter
81	81	schools, or school administrations for the purposes of curriculum
82	82	development, purchase or choice of curricular materials, teacher
83	83	training, or professional development pertaining to courses on
84	84	Texas, United States, and world history, government, civics, social
85	85	studies, or similar subject areas.
86	86	SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022
87	87	school year.
88	88	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
89	89	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
90	90	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
91	91	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
92	92	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.