| 1 | 1 | | 89R8298 MEW-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Leo Wilson H.B. No. 1927 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the instructional materials for certain curriculum in |
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| 10 | 10 | | public schools, including certain instructional prohibitions and |
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| 11 | 11 | | requirements regarding those materials. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Section 28.002(h-7), Education Code, is amended |
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| 14 | 14 | | to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (h-7) The agency shall ensure that each school district or |
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| 16 | 16 | | open-enrollment charter school teaches civics education as part of |
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| 17 | 17 | | and adopts instructional materials for the district's social |
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| 18 | 18 | | studies curriculum in a manner consistent with the essential |
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| 19 | 19 | | knowledge and skills adopted under Subsection (h-2). |
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| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. Section 28.0022(a), Education Code, is amended |
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| 21 | 21 | | to read as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (a) For any course or subject, including an innovative |
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| 23 | 23 | | course, for a grade level from kindergarten through grade 12: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (1) a teacher may not be compelled to discuss or use |
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| 25 | 25 | | instructional materials that cover a widely debated and currently |
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| 26 | 26 | | controversial issue of public policy or social affairs; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) a teacher who chooses to discuss or use |
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| 28 | 28 | | instructional materials that cover a topic described by Subdivision |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) shall explore that topic objectively and in a manner free from |
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| 30 | 30 | | political bias; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) a school district, open-enrollment charter |
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| 32 | 32 | | school, or teacher may not require, make part of a course, or award |
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| 33 | 33 | | a grade or course credit, including extra credit, for a student's: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (A) work for, affiliation with, or service |
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| 35 | 35 | | learning in association with any organization engaged in: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (i) lobbying for legislation at the |
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| 37 | 37 | | federal, state, or local level, if the student's duties involve |
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| 38 | 38 | | directly or indirectly attempting to influence social or public |
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| 39 | 39 | | policy or the outcome of legislation; or |
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| 40 | 40 | | (ii) social policy advocacy or public |
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| 41 | 41 | | policy advocacy; |
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| 42 | 42 | | (B) political activism, lobbying, or efforts to |
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| 43 | 43 | | persuade members of the legislative or executive branch at the |
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| 44 | 44 | | federal, state, or local level to take specific actions by direct |
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| 45 | 45 | | communication; or |
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| 46 | 46 | | (C) participation in any internship, practicum, |
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| 47 | 47 | | or similar activity involving social policy advocacy or public |
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| 48 | 48 | | policy advocacy; and |
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| 49 | 49 | | (4) a teacher, administrator, or other employee of a |
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| 50 | 50 | | state agency, school district, or open-enrollment charter school |
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| 51 | 51 | | may not: |
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| 52 | 52 | | (A) require or make part of a course, including |
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| 53 | 53 | | the course's instructional materials, inculcation in the concept |
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| 54 | 54 | | that: |
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| 55 | 55 | | (i) one race or sex is inherently superior |
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| 56 | 56 | | to another race or sex; |
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| 57 | 57 | | (ii) an individual, by virtue of the |
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| 58 | 58 | | individual's race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or |
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| 59 | 59 | | oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously; |
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| 60 | 60 | | (iii) an individual should be discriminated |
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| 61 | 61 | | against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of |
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| 62 | 62 | | the individual's race or sex; |
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| 63 | 63 | | (iv) an individual's moral character, |
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| 64 | 64 | | standing, or worth is necessarily determined by the individual's |
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| 65 | 65 | | race or sex; |
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| 66 | 66 | | (v) an individual, by virtue of the |
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| 67 | 67 | | individual's race or sex, bears responsibility, blame, or guilt for |
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| 68 | 68 | | actions committed by other members of the same race or sex; |
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| 69 | 69 | | (vi) meritocracy or traits such as a hard |
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| 70 | 70 | | work ethic are racist or sexist or were created by members of a |
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| 71 | 71 | | particular race to oppress members of another race; |
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| 72 | 72 | | (vii) the advent of slavery in the |
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| 73 | 73 | | territory that is now the United States constituted the true |
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| 74 | 74 | | founding of the United States; or |
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| 75 | 75 | | (viii) with respect to their relationship |
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| 76 | 76 | | to American values, slavery and racism are anything other than |
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| 77 | 77 | | deviations from, betrayals of, or failures to live up to the |
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| 78 | 78 | | authentic founding principles of the United States, which include |
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| 79 | 79 | | liberty and equality; |
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| 80 | 80 | | (B) teach, instruct, or train any administrator, |
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| 81 | 81 | | teacher, or staff member of a state agency, school district, or |
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| 82 | 82 | | open-enrollment charter school to adopt a concept listed under |
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| 83 | 83 | | Paragraph (A); or |
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| 84 | 84 | | (C) require an understanding of the 1619 Project. |
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| 85 | 85 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026 |
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| 86 | 86 | | school year. |
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| 87 | 87 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 88 | 88 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 89 | 89 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 90 | 90 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 91 | 91 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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