Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2026 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		By: Taylor, et al. S.B. No. 2026
2		-	(Bonnen, et al.)
3	2
4	3
5	4		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	5		AN ACT
7	6		relating to instruction on informed American patriotism in public
8	7		schools.
9	8		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	9		SECTION 1. Section 4.001(b), Education Code, is amended to
11	10		read as follows:
12	11		(b) The objectives of public education are:
13	12		OBJECTIVE 1: Parents will be full partners with educators in
14	13		the education of their children.
15	14		OBJECTIVE 2: Students will be encouraged and challenged to
16	15		meet their full educational potential.
17	16		OBJECTIVE 3: Through enhanced dropout prevention efforts,
18	17		all students will remain in school until they obtain a high school
19	18		diploma.
20	19		OBJECTIVE 4: A well-balanced and appropriate curriculum will
21	20		be provided to all students. Through that curriculum, students
22	21		will be prepared to succeed in a variety of postsecondary
23	22		activities, including employment and enrollment in institutions of
24	23		higher education.
25	24		OBJECTIVE 5: Educators shall cultivate in [will prepare]
26	25		students an informed American patriotism and lead students in a
27	26		close study of the founding documents of the United States and
28	27		Texas. The purpose of this objective is to:
29	28		(1) increase students' knowledge of the deepest and
30	29		noblest purposes of the United States and Texas;
31	30		(2) enhance students' intellectual independence so
32	31		that students may become [be] thoughtful, informed [active]
33	32		citizens who have an appreciation for the fundamental democratic
34	33		principles [basic values] of our state and national heritage; and
35	34		(3) guide students toward understanding [who can
36	35		understand] and productively functioning [function] in a free
37	36		enterprise society.
38	37		OBJECTIVE 6: Qualified and highly effective personnel will
39	38		be recruited, developed, and retained.
40	39		OBJECTIVE 7: The state's students will demonstrate exemplary
41	40		performance in comparison to national and international standards.
42	41		OBJECTIVE 8: School campuses will maintain a safe and
43	42		disciplined environment conducive to student learning.
44	43		OBJECTIVE 9: Educators will keep abreast of the development
45	44		of creative and innovative techniques in instruction and
46	45		administration using those techniques as appropriate to improve
47	46		student learning.
48	47		OBJECTIVE 10: Technology will be implemented and used to
49	48		increase the effectiveness of student learning, instructional
50	49		management, staff development, and administration.
51	50		OBJECTIVE 11: The State Board of Education, the agency, and
52	51		the commissioner shall assist school districts and charter schools
53	52		in providing career and technology education to students.
54	53		SECTION 2. Section 5.001, Education Code, is amended by
55	54		adding Subdivision (10) to read as follows:
56	55		(10) "Informed American patriotism" means a reasoned
57	56		appreciation, gained through the study of historical primary
58	57		sources, of why America has been, is now, and continues to be the
59	58		destination of choice for those around the world who yearn to live
60	59		in freedom. Informed American patriotism is only a conditional
61	60		pledge of devotion that will be maintained only so long as America
62	61		adheres to a republican form of government. If we abandon a
63	62		representative democracy, our pledge of allegiance will be
64	63		withdrawn as is stated in the Pledge of Allegiance, which swears
65	64		devotion to a "republic".
66	65		SECTION 3. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
67	66		amending Subsection (h) and adding Subsections (h-1) and (h-2) to
68	67		read as follows:
69	68		(h) The State Board of Education and each school district
70	69		shall require [foster] the [continuation of the tradition of]
71	70		teaching of informed American patriotism, [United States and] Texas
72	71		history, and the free enterprise system [in regular subject matter
73	72		and in reading courses and] in the adoption of instructional
74	73		materials for kindergarten through grade 12, including the founding
75	74		documents of the United States. A primary purpose of the public
76	75		school curriculum is to prepare thoughtful, informed [active]
77	76		citizens who understand the importance of patriotism and can
78	77		function productively in a free enterprise society with
79	78		appreciation for the fundamental [basic] democratic principles
80	79		[values] of our state and national heritage.
81	80		(h-1) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the
82	81		foundation curriculum under Subsection (a)(1), the State Board of
83	82		Education shall, as appropriate, adopt essential knowledge and
84	83		skills that develop each student's civic knowledge, including an
85	84		understanding of:
86	85		(1) the fundamental moral, political, and
87	86		intellectual foundations of the American experiment in
88	87		self-government;
89	88		(2) the history, qualities, traditions, and features
90	89		of civic engagement in the United States;
91	90		(3) the structure, function, and processes of
92	91		government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels;
93	92		and
94	93		(4) the founding documents of the United States,
95	94		including:
96	95		(A) the entirety of the Declaration of
97	96		Independence;
98	97		(B) the entirety of the United States
99	98		Constitution;
100	99		(C) the Federalist Papers, including the
101	100		entirety of Essays 10 and 51;
102	101		(D) excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's
103	102		Democracy in America;
104	103		(E) the transcript of the first Lincoln-Douglas
105	104		debate;
106	105		(F) the writings of the founding fathers of the
107	106		United States;
108	107		(G) the entirety of Frederick Douglass's
109	108		speeches The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro and What the Black
110	109		Man Wants; and
111	110		(H) the entirety of Martin Luther King Jr.'s
112	111		speech I Have a Dream.
113	112		(h-2) In providing instruction regarding the founding
114	113		documents of the United States as described by Subsection (h-1)(4),
115	114		a school district or open-enrollment charter school shall use those
116	115		documents as part of the instructional materials for the
117	116		instruction.
118	117		SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022
119	118		school year.
120	119		SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
121	120		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
122	121		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
123	122		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
124	123		Act takes effect September 1, 2021.