Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2802 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R19470 TYPED
2	2	By: Hagenbuch S.B. No. 2802
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to courses to understand the United States and Texas
10	10	Constitutions for high school students in public schools.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 28.002(a), Education Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(a) Each school district that offers kindergarten through
15	15	grade 12 shall offer, as a required curriculum:
16	16	(1) a foundation curriculum that includes:
17	17	(A) English language arts;
18	18	(B) mathematics;
19	19	(C) science; and
20	20	(D) social studies, consisting of Texas, United
21	21	States, and world history, government, United States Constitution
22	22	and Texas Constitution, economics, with emphasis on the free
23	23	enterprise system and its benefits, and geography; and
24	24	(2) an enrichment curriculum that includes:
25	25	(A) to the extent possible, languages other than
26	26	English;
27	27	(B) health, with emphasis on:
28	28	(i) physical health, including the
29	29	importance of proper nutrition and exercise;
30	30	(ii) mental health, including instruction
31	31	about mental health conditions, substance abuse, skills to manage
32	32	emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and
33	33	responsible decision-making; and
34	34	(iii) suicide prevention, including
35	35	recognizing suicide-related risk factors and warning signs;
36	36	(C) physical education;
37	37	(D) fine arts;
38	38	(E) career and technology education;
39	39	(F) technology applications; and
40	40	(G) religious literature, including the Hebrew
41	41	Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on
42	42	history and literature, and,
43	43	SECTION 2. Section 28.0021(b), Education Code, is amended
44	44	to read as follows:
45	45	(b) Each school district and each open-enrollment charter
46	46	school that offers a high school program shall provide a [an
47	47	elective] course in The United States Constitution and the Texas
48	48	Constitution that meets the requirements for a one-half social
49	49	studies [elective] credit under Section 28.025, using materials
50	50	approved by the State Board of Education. In fulfilling the
51	51	requirement to provide financial literacy instruction under this
52	52	section, a school district or open-enrollment charter school may
53	53	use an existing state, federal, private, or nonprofit program that
54	54	provides students without charge the instruction described under
55	55	this section.
56	56	SECTION 3. Sections 28.025(b-1) and (b-23), Education Code,
57	57	are amended to read as follows:
58	58	(b-1) The State Board of Education by rule shall require
59	59	that the curriculum requirements for the foundation high school
60	60	program under Subsection (a) include a requirement that students
61	61	successfully complete:
62	62	(1) four credits in English language arts under
63	63	Section 28.002(a)(1)(A), including one credit in English I, one
64	64	credit in English II, one credit in English III, and one credit in
65	65	an advanced English course authorized under Subsection (b-2);
66	66	(2) three credits in mathematics under Section
67	67	28.002(a)(1)(B), including one credit in Algebra I, one credit in
68	68	geometry, and one credit in any advanced mathematics course
69	69	authorized under Subsection (b-2);
70	70	(3) three credits in science under Section
71	71	28.002(a)(1)(C), including one credit in biology, one credit in any
72	72	advanced science course authorized under Subsection (b-2), and one
73	73	credit in integrated physics and chemistry or in an additional
74	74	advanced science course authorized under Subsection (b-2);
75	75	(4) three credits in social studies under Section
76	76	28.002(a)(1)(D), including one credit in United States history, at
77	77	least one-half credit in government and at least one-half credit in
78	78	[economics or] The United States Constitution and the Texas
79	79	Constitution [& economics], and one credit in economics, world
80	80	geography, or world history;
81	81	(5) except as provided under Subsections (b-12),
82	82	(b-13), and (b-14), two credits in the same language in a language
83	83	other than English under Section 28.002(a)(2)(A);
84	84	(6) five elective credits;
85	85	(7) one credit in fine arts under Section
86	86	28.002(a)(2)(D); and
87	87	(8) except as provided by Subsection (b-11), one
88	88	credit in physical education under Section 28.002(a)(2)(C).
89	89	(b-23) The agency shall:
90	90	(1) develop a list of free, open-source, and publicly
91	91	available curricula that may be used by a school district to provide
92	92	a United States Constitution and Texas Constitution [& economics]
93	93	course that satisfies the curriculum requirement under Subsection
94	94	(b-1)(4); and
95	95	(2) seek, accept, and spend any federal or private
96	96	grant funds and gifts that are available for the purpose of
97	97	providing a United States Constitution and Texas Constitution [&
98	98	economics] course as part of the foundation high school program.
99	99	SECTION 4. Section 28.025(b-22), Education Code, is
100	100	repealed.
101	101	SECTION 5. Sections 28.0021(b) and 28.025(b-1), Education
102	102	Code, as amended by this Act, apply only to students entering the
103	103	ninth grade during the 2025-2026 school year or a later school year.
104	104	For students entering a grade above ninth grade during the
105	105	2025-2026 school year, Sections 28.0021(b) and 28.025(b-1),
106	106	Education Code, as those sections existed before amendment by this
107	107	Act, apply, and those sections are continued in effect for that
108	108	purpose.
109	109	SECTION 6. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026
110	110	school year.
111	111	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
112	112	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
113	113	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
114	114	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
115	115	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.