89R5218 CMO-D
By: Flores S.B. No. 1284
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to civics instruction in public schools, including certain
instructional requirements, civics training programs, and the
essential knowledge and skills for the public school foundation
curriculum and social studies curriculum.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 21.4555(b) and (c), Education Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(b) A civics training program developed under this section
must include training in:
(1) the essential knowledge and skills for the social
studies curriculum related to civic knowledge adopted under Section
28.002(h-2);
(2) guided classroom discussion of current events in a
way that prioritizes unity, understanding, and collaboration, as
appropriate for the grade level and consistent with the
restrictions under Section 28.0022;
(3) strategies for incorporating instruction on civil
discourse, as defined by commissioner rule, into classroom
discussion of current events under Subdivision (2);
(4) classroom simulations and models of governmental
and democratic processes, including local governmental processes
and structure, consistent with the requirements and restrictions of
Sections 28.002(h-2) and 28.0022;
(5) [(4)] media literacy, including instruction on
verifying information and sources, identifying and responding to
logical fallacies, identifying how journalism and governmental
transparency can inform the public and promote civic engagement,
and identifying propaganda, as appropriate for the grade level and
consistent with the restrictions under Section 28.0022; [and]
(6) [(5)] strategies for incorporating civics
instruction into subject areas other than social studies; and
(7) identifying optional, nonpartisan volunteer
opportunities that are consistent with the requirements and
restrictions of Section 28.0022 to encourage students to connect
with their community through civic engagement.
(c) The commissioner by rule shall establish:
(1) the grade levels at which a teacher provides
instruction to be eligible to participate in a civics training
program. In making the determination, the commissioner shall
include grade levels for which the State Board of Education makes
significant revisions to the essential knowledge and skills for the
social studies curriculum under Section 28.002(h-2); and
(2) a list of approved volunteer opportunities that
meet the requirements of Subsection (b)(7).
SECTION 2. Sections 28.002(h-1) and (h-2), Education Code,
are amended to read as follows:
(h-1) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the
foundation curriculum under Subsection (a)(1), the State Board of
Education shall, as appropriate, adopt essential knowledge and
skills that develop each student's civic knowledge, including an
understanding of:
(1) the fundamental moral, political, and
intellectual foundations of the American experiment in
self-government;
(2) the history, qualities, traditions, and features
of civic engagement in the United States;
(3) the structure, function, and processes of
government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels,
including the division of powers between federal and state
governments and the legislative process in this state; and
(4) the founding documents of the United States,
including:
(A) the entirety of the Declaration of
Independence;
(B) the entirety of the United States
Constitution;
(C) the Federalist Papers, including the
entirety of Essays 10 and 51;
(D) excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's
Democracy in America;
(E) the transcript of the first Lincoln-Douglas
debate;
(F) the writings of the founding fathers of the
United States;
(G) the entirety of Frederick Douglass's
speeches "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" and "What the
Black Man Wants"; and
(H) the entirety of Martin Luther King Jr.'s
speech "I Have a Dream."
(h-2) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the
social studies curriculum for each grade level from kindergarten
through grade 12, the State Board of Education shall adopt
essential knowledge and skills that develop each student's civic
knowledge, including:
(1) an understanding of:
(A) the fundamental moral, political,
entrepreneurial, and intellectual foundations of the American
experiment in self-government;
(B) the history, qualities, traditions, and
features of civic engagement in the United States;
(C) the structure, function, and processes of
government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels,
including division of powers between federal and state governments
and the legislative process in this state; and
(D) the founding documents of the United States;
(2) the ability to:
(A) analyze and determine the reliability of
information sources;
(B) formulate and articulate reasoned positions;
(C) understand the manner in which local, state,
and federal government works and operates through the use of
simulations and models of governmental and democratic processes;
(D) actively listen and engage in civil
discourse, including discourse with those with different
viewpoints; and
(E) participate as a citizen in a constitutional
democracy by voting; and
(3) an appreciation of:
(A) the importance and responsibility of
participating in civic life;
(B) a commitment to the United States and its
form of government; and
(C) a commitment to free speech and civil
discourse.
SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026
school year.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2025.