89R5738 KRM-F
By: King S.B. No. 1298
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to instruction in online safety for minors provided in
public schools and by the Department of Public Safety.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c-6) to read as
follows:
(a) Each school district that offers kindergarten through
grade 12 shall offer, as a required curriculum:
(1) a foundation curriculum that includes:
(A) English language arts;
(B) mathematics;
(C) science; and
(D) social studies, consisting of Texas, United
States, and world history, government, economics, with emphasis on
the free enterprise system and its benefits, and geography; and
(2) an enrichment curriculum that includes:
(A) to the extent possible, languages other than
English;
(B) health, with emphasis on:
(i) physical health, including the
importance of proper nutrition and exercise;
(ii) mental health, including instruction
about mental health conditions, substance abuse, skills to manage
emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and
responsible decision-making; and
(iii) suicide prevention, including
recognizing suicide-related risk factors and warning signs;
(C) physical education;
(D) fine arts;
(E) career and technology education;
(F) technology applications;
(G) religious literature, including the Hebrew
Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on
history and literature; [and]
(H) personal financial literacy; and
(I) online safety, including instruction about
the potential dangers of using Internet websites, social media
applications, and applications that use artificial intelligence.
(c-6) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the
online safety curriculum required under Subsection (a)(2)(I), the
State Board of Education shall adopt essential knowledge and skills
that develop each student's understanding of:
(1) sharing information on social media;
(2) maintaining personal security;
(3) preventing oversharing of personal information;
(4) identifying cyberbullying, predatory behavior,
and human trafficking on the Internet;
(5) the permanence of information shared online;
(6) how to report suspicious activity encountered on
the Internet to appropriate authorities; and
(7) the topics described by Sections 37.218(b)(1),
(2), and (3).
SECTION 2. Section 411.045(b), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(b) The bureau of training shall:
(1) establish and operate schools for training
department personnel in their duties and functions;
(2) establish and operate schools for training county
and municipal police officers who are selected to attend the
schools by the authorities of the law enforcement agencies that
employ them; and
(3) establish and carry out a comprehensive plan for
the education of citizens of this state in matters of public safety
and crime prevention and detection, including the education of
citizens under the age of 18 concerning online safety when using
Internet websites, social media applications, and applications
that use artificial intelligence.
SECTION 3. Section 28.002, Education Code, as amended by
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.