Bill Text: GA SB426 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: "The Teach Freedom Act"; enact; modify requirements for instruction in U.S. history, American government and civics, economics, and social studies
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 6-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-15 - Senate Read and Referred [SB426 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2011-SB426-Introduced.html
12 LC 33
4561
Senate
Bill 426
By:
Senators Ligon, Jr. of the 3rd, Tippins of the 37th, Carter of the 1st, Rogers
of the 21st, Hill of the 32nd and others
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to elementary and secondary education, so as to enact "The Teach Freedom Act";
to modify requirements for instruction in United States history, American
government and civics, economics, and social studies; to establish Celebrate
Freedom Week in elementary and middle school grades; to require the Department
of Education to develop a website for resources and instructional support; to
require that the Professional Standards Commission and the Department of
Education cooperatively develop an online course on America's founding
philosophy and principles to be offered as professional learning units; to
provide for legislative progress reports; to provide for related matters; to
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
This
Act shall be known and may be cited as "The Teach Freedom Act."
SECTION
2.
The
General Assembly recognizes that a positive understanding of American history
and government is essential to good citizenship and that the public schools are
the primary public institutions charged with responsibility for assisting
children and youth in gaining that understanding. The survival of the republic
depends upon our nation's people acquiring a clear understanding of the founding
philosophy and the founding principles of a government for a free people, and
that, as citizens, they should remain vigilant to maintain those freedoms
recognized in our founding documents of the Declaration of Independence, the
United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
SECTION
3.
Chapter
2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary
and secondary education, is amended by adding a new article to read as
follows:
"ARTICLE
19A
20-2-1020.
(a)
The State Board of Education and local boards of education shall periodically
review school curricula, text books, electronic resources, and activities to
ensure that effective instruction in United States history, American government
and civics, economics, and social studies is taking place in the public school
system, including traditional, blended, and online settings, with an emphasis on
those philosophical foundations of the American form of government and the
principles underlying the Declaration of Independence, the United States
Constitution, and the Bill of Rights and key concepts from the Federalist Papers
and Anti-Federalist Papers. Courses in United States history, American
government and civics, economics, and social studies should emphasize these key
documents, key individuals who authorized or contributed to these documents, and
key movements in the colonization period and the Founding Era through the first
six Presidents, which may also include key influences from Western Civilization
upon the establishment of the United States.
(b)
Local boards of education shall solicit public input as part of the review
process.
(c)
Instruction, activities, and curricula in United States history, particularly in
the high school curriculum, shall be taught chronologically and include a study
of key events, key people, and their historically significant activities and
accomplishments in the settlement of North America and a thorough study of key
events, key people, and their historically significant activities and
accomplishments in the colonial period and in the Founding Era, including the
following:
(1)
The following teaching concepts:
(A)
A timeline of important benchmarks in the settlement of North America from the
1400's through the colonial period along with a study of key original documents
such as the Mayflower Compact;
(B)
The political, religious, and economic reasons that motivated people to explore
and colonize the New World hazarding their lives to seek new freedoms and
opportunities;
(C)
The context of how events in England, such as change of leadership, as well as
the political and religious climate throughout Europe affected the colonization
of America, as in immigration trends, wars, and colonial charters;
(D)
The pivotal role that the institution of private property ownership had on the
survival of Jamestown;
(E)
The growing differences regarding religious freedom in the New World as compared
to that of Europe, highlighting the growing religious diversity in America and
how such diversity helped prepare the way for the unique concept of religious
freedom as a foundational attribute of a free people, specifically including the
Virginia debate and context of the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom and
comparing that debate with the debate over the Free Exercise and Establishment
Clauses in the first Congress during the drafting of the Bill of
Rights;
(F)
A timeline of the important benchmarks creating the circumstances that led to
the War for Independence and key events taking place during the
war;
(G)
Specific knowledge of the actual events that led to each of the resolves listed
in the Declaration of Independence and the atmosphere of war that surrounded the
writing of the Declaration and the negotiations that led to the unanimous
signing of the Declaration;
(H)
The making of the Articles of Confederation;
(I)
Reasons for growing dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and
events that led to the call for a Constitutional Convention;
(J)
The key debates of the Constitutional Convention and the roles of the delegates
with emphasis on the key people and their arguments;
(K)
The United States form of government, a compound constitutional republic with
the free and frequent elections of a democratic process;
(L)
The ratification process and the major debates between the Federalists and the
Anti-Federalists as well as the key objections made by states;
(M)
The first Congress and the passage of the Bill of Rights;
(N)
A focus on the first six Presidents and their major accomplishments, before
their presidencies and during their presidencies; and
(O)
A focus on early Chief Justices of the United States Supreme Court, particularly
John Jay and John Marshall, and their major accomplishments, both on and off the
court;
(2)
The following historical documents that students shall consult:
(A)
Magna Carta;
(B)
The Petition of Right;
(C)
The English Bill of Rights;
(D)
The Mayflower Compact;
(E)
Selected writings of Edward Coke and William Blackstone as the early foundation
for the American legal system; various colonial charters, including the Charter
for the Georgia Colony; and various examples of colonial laws, early state
constitutions, including the Preamble to the Georgia Constitution, and early
state laws;
(F)
The Olive Branch Petition;
(G)
The Declaration of Independence, including the context of various acts of the
British Parliament and their effects, starting with the Navigation Acts of 1651
to the Stamp Act of 1765 and through the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts of 1774 to
the New England Restraining Act of 1775;
(H)
The Articles of Confederation;
(I)
The United States Constitution and selections from the debate records, including
selections from various ratification debates in the states;
(J)
The Bill of Rights;
(K)
The Northwest Ordinance;
(L)
The Federalist Papers;
(M)
The Anti-Federalist Papers;
(N)
John Locke's Treatises on Government;
(O)
Montesquieu, with special emphasis on the structure of divided government and
his reasons for that structure;
(P)
Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense';
(Q)
George Washington's Farewell Address (1796);
(R)
John Adams's Thanksgiving Proclamation (1799);
(S)
James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments along
with the context of the debate in Virginia between Thomas Jefferson and Patrick
Henry on the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom as opposed to the bill on
religious assessments;
(T)
Marbury v.
Madison
(1803), emphasizing the value of the written United States Constitution and the
role of the judiciary;
(U)
Various writings, speeches, documents, and proclamations of the Founders and the
Presidents of the United
States;
(V) Various organic documents from the pre-Colonial, Colonial, Revolutionary, Federalist, and post Federalist eras;
(V) Various organic documents from the pre-Colonial, Colonial, Revolutionary, Federalist, and post Federalist eras;
(W)
The significance of early United States Supreme Court decisions;
(X)
Key early acts of the United States Congress, including some references to the
published text of the Congressional Record;
(Y)
Key actions of the first six Presidents; and
(Z)
American songs and poems that reflect the struggle for Independence;
and
(3)
The following biographical sketches of key individuals in early American history
and their important accomplishments:
(A)
Various Founding Fathers, primarily the signers of the Declaration and the
United States Constitution;
(B)
The first six Presidents, and particularly George Washington and key
individuals, such as Alexander Hamilton, who served with him in war or in his
presidential cabinets;
(C)
Major contributors to independence efforts, such as Patrick Henry and Paul
Revere, the Minutemen, the Black-robed regiment, and other war heroes;
and
(D)
Supreme Court Justices in the Founding Era, with emphasis Chief Justices John
Jay and John Marshall; two 'Fathers of American Jurisprudence,' Supreme Court
Justice Joseph Story and chief justice of the New York Supreme Court James Kent,
also known as 'America's Blackstone'; and Supreme Court Justice James Wilson, a
signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the United States
Constitution who is known for laying the foundation for American
jurisprudence.
(d)
Instruction in American government and civics, particularly in the high school
curriculum, shall include a thorough study of the founding philosophy and the
founding principles of American government through:
(1)
The following concepts:
(A)
The United States form of government, a compound constitutional republic with
the free and frequent elections of a democratic process;
(B)
Political philosophies upon which the Founders relied for building the American
political system, with an emphasis on John Locke and Montesquieu in contrast to
those rejected by the Founders;
(C)
The natural law concept of creator endowed inalienable rights of the people
which a just government must respect as noted in the Declaration of
Independence, along with the Founders' stated purpose for government, that of
protecting the natural rights and property of the people as noted in Federalist
Papers No. 10 and 51 and summarized in the Preamble of the United States
Constitution, among other documents;
(D)
The ideal of a self-governing people creating their own form of government which
derives its just powers from the consent of the governed;
(E)
The structure of America's limited, divided government based upon the Founders'
understanding of man's fallible human nature, with emphasis on Federalist Papers
Nos. 10, 47, and 51;
(F)
The importance of the written Constitution that limits the reach of the federal
government as noted in Federalist Paper No. 45 and requires the separation of
powers with checks and balances at all levels of government as explained in
Federalist Papers No. 9 and 47 and how such a divided structure was designed to
protect the liberties of the people as noted in Federalist Papers No. 47 and 51
and how such a structure allocates the most weight of power to the legislative
branch as explained in Federalist Paper No. 51 and the least to the judiciary as
noted in Federalist Paper No. 78;
(G)
Federalism's role in keeping government as close to the people as possible and
in fostering a peaceful, pluralistic society composed of a multiplicity of
interests, abilities, sects, and economic classes as explained in Federalist
Papers No. 10 and 51;
(H)
The ideal of the rule of law and equal justice under the law for all
citizens;
(I)
The purpose of the Bill of Rights in its original application to bar actions of
the federal government;
(J)
The value of First Amendment freedoms for ensuring that a free people remain
free: freedom of religion (free exercise clause and the Establishment Clause),
freedom of speech (including the concepts of freedom of thought and free
inquiry), freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly (including the concept
of freedom of association);
(K)
The value of civil authority over military power within the study of the Second
and Third Amendments;
(L)
The judicial presumption of innocence of any crime until proven guilty with
rights of habeas corpus within the study of the Fourth through Eighth
Amendments;
(M)
The value of reserving rights as well as powers not enumerated in the
Constitution to the people or to the states within the study of the Ninth and
Tenth Amendments and how these reserved powers are intended to bar the
encroachment of federal power;
(N)
The Founders' belief that the healthy maintenance of the republic would require
a moral and virtuous citizenry educated in the foundational philosophy and
principles of the nation;
(O)
The Founders' views about private property and the constitutional protections
for property rights contrasted with their views regarding 'a rage for paper
money, for an abolition of debts' or 'for an equal division of property,' as
explained in Federalist Paper No. 10;
(P)
The constitutional protections and encouragement of free enterprise and the
Declaration's resolves that relate to unjust government interference with trade,
free enterprise, and private property rights;
(Q)
The Founders' views about the proper boundaries of public debt;
(R)
The Founders' views about the need for currency with intrinsic value and the
constitutional provisions about currency;
(S)
Constitutional limitations on the General Welfare Clause, the Commerce Clause,
and the Necessary and Proper Clause as well as how such limitations affected the
power to tax and spend as explained in Federalist Paper No. 41;
(T)
Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances
with none;
(U)
An understanding of the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and the key
arguments and compromises of the Constitutional Convention as described in
convention debates;
(V)
An understanding of the mandate of the British government that required slavery
in the colonies and the actions of various Founders who always opposed slavery,
as well as early civic and religious movements to end slavery and the
self-correcting constitutional language the Founders included to allow the
nation to end the institution of slavery;
(W)
A focus on the composition and the early decisions of the United States Supreme
Court that helped shape the scope of the judiciary and its relationship to the
other two branches of government and its relationship to the states, along with
how the early court interpreted the Bill of Rights;
(X)
Key early acts of the United States Congress, including the Bill of Rights, the
Judiciary Act, and the Sedition Acts, including some references to the published
text of the Congressional Record;
(Y)
Key actions of the first six Presidents, but particularly how the presidency of
George Washington and his cabinet helped shape the grand design of the national
government; and
(Z)
The Founders' charge to future generations for eternal vigilance to maintain the
freedoms and the right to self-government as bequeathed in the Constitution;
and
(2)
The following materials in American government and civics:
(A)
Magna Carta;
(B)
The Petition of Right;
(C)
The English Bill of Rights;
(D)
The Mayflower Compact;
(E)
Selected writings of Edward Coke and William Blackstone as the early foundation
for the American legal system; various colonial charters, including the Charter
for the Georgia Colony; and various examples of colonial laws, early state
constitutions, including the Preamble to the Georgia Constitution, and early
state laws;
(F)
The Olive Branch Petition;
(G)
The Declaration of Independence, including the context of various acts of the
British Parliament and their effects, starting with the Navigation Acts of 1651
to the Stamp Act of 1765 and through the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts of 1774 to
the New England Restraining Act of 1775;
(H)
The Articles of Confederation;
(I)
The United States Constitution and selections from the debate records, including
selections from various ratification debates in the states;
(J)
The Bill of Rights;
(K
The Northwest Ordinance;
(L)
The Federalist Papers, particularly Federalist Papers No. 9, 10, 41, 45, 47, 51
and 78;
(M)
The Anti-Federalist Papers, with emphasis on Brutus and Cato;
(N)
John Locke's Treatises on Government, with emphasis on the nature of man, the
nature of government, and the abuses of government;
(O)
Montesquieu, with special emphasis on the structure of divided government and
his reasons for that structure;
(P)
Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense';
(Q)
The
Farmer Refuted
by Alexander Hamilton (1775);
(R)
George Washington's Farewell Address (1796);
(S)
John Adams's Thanksgiving Proclamation (1799);
(T)
Thomas Jefferson's 'Wall of Separation' letter along with the entire context
preceding the letter and a copy of the original letter to which President
Jefferson was responding;
(U)
James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments along
with the context of the debate in Virginia between Thomas Jefferson and Patrick
Henry on the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom as opposed to the bill on
religious assessments;
(V)
Frederick Douglass's1852 speech, 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' and
his 1860 lecture on the United States Constitution entitled 'Unconstitutionality
of Slavery,' given in Glasgow, Scotland; and
(W)
Marbury
v. Madison
(1803), emphasizing the value of the written United States Constitution and the
role of the judiciary as well as the reactions of Thomas Jefferson and James
Madison to the decision;
(e)
Instruction, activities, and curricula in United States history, particularly in
the high school curriculum, shall be taught chronologically and include a study
of key events, key people and their historically significant activities and
accomplishments in the settlement of North America, and a thorough study of key
events, key people and their historically significant activities and
accomplishments in the colonial period and in the Founding Era:
(1)
Teaching concepts shall include at least the following:
(A)
A timeline of important benchmarks in the settlement of North America from the
1400s through the colonial period along with a study of key original documents
such as the Mayflower Compact;
(B)
The political, religious, and economic reasons that motivated people to explore
and colonize the New World hazarding their lives to seek new freedoms and
opportunities;
(C)
The context of how events in England, such as change of leadership, as well as
the political and religious climate throughout Europe affected the colonization
of America; as in immigration trends, wars, and colonial charters;
(D)
The pivotal role that the institution of private property ownership had on the
survival of Jamestown;
(E)
The growing differences regarding religious freedom in the New World as compared
to that of Europe highlighting the growing religious diversity in America and
how such diversity helped prepare the way for the unique concept of religious
freedom as a foundational attribute of a free people; specifically including the
Virginia debate and context of the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom and
comparing that debate with the debate over the Free Exercise and Establishment
Clauses in the first Congress during the drafting of the Bill of
Rights;
(F)
A timeline of the important benchmarks creating the circumstances that led to
the War for Independence and key events taking place during the
war;
(G)
Specific knowledge of the actual events that led to each of the resolves listed
in the Declaration of Independence and the atmosphere of war that surrounded the
writing of the Declaration and the negotiations that led to the unanimous
signing of the Declaration;
(H)
The making of the Articles of Confederation;
(I)
Reasons for growing dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and
events that led to the call for a Constitutional Convention;
(J)
The key debates of the Constitutional Convention and the roles of the delegates
with emphasis on the key people and their arguments;
(K)
The United States' form of government, a compound constitutional republic with
the free and frequent elections of a democratic process;
(L)
The ratification process and the major debates between the Federalists and the
Anti-Federalists as well as the key objections made by states;
(M)
The first Congress and the passage of the Bill of Rights;
(N)
A focus on the first six Presidents and their major accomplishments, before
their presidencies and during their presidencies; and
(O)
A focus on the first two Chief Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and their
major accomplishments, both on and off the Court.
(2)
Historical documents that students shall consult shall include at least the
following:
(A)
The Magna Carta;
(B)
The Petition of Right;
(C)
The English Bill of Rights;
(D)
The Mayflower Compact;
(E)
Selected writings of Edward Coke and William Blackstone as the early foundation
for the American legal system; and various colonial charters, including the
Charter for the Georgia Colony; various examples of colonial laws, early state
constitutions, including the Preamble to the Georgia Constitution, and early
state laws;
(F)
The Olive Branch Petition;
(G)
The Declaration of Independence (including the context of various acts of the
British Parliament and their effects starting with the Navigation Acts of 1651
to the Stamp Act of 1765 and through the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts of 1774 to
the New England Restraining Act of 1775);
(H)
The Articles of Confederation;
(I)
The United States Constitution and selections from the debate records, including
selections from various ratification debates in the states;
(J)
The Bill of Rights;
(K)
The Northwest Ordinance;
(L)
The Federalist Papers;
(M)
The Anti-Federalist Papers;
(N)
John Locke's Second Treatise on Government;
(O)
Montesquieu, with special emphasis on the structure of divided government and
his reasons for that structure;
(P)
Thomas Paine's Common Sense;
(Q)
George Washington's Farewell Address (1796);
(R)
John Adams' Thanksgiving Proclamation (1799);
(S)
James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments along
with the context of the debate in Virginia between Thomas Jefferson and Patrick
Henry on the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom as opposed to the bill on
Religious Assessments;
(T)
Marbury v.
Madison
(1803), emphasizing the value of the written U.S. Constitution and the role of
the judiciary;
(U)
Various writings, speeches, documents, and proclamations of the Founders and the
Presidents of the United
States;
(V) Various organic documents from the pre-Colonial, Colonial, Revolutionary, Federalist, and post Federalist eras;
(V) Various organic documents from the pre-Colonial, Colonial, Revolutionary, Federalist, and post Federalist eras;
(W)
The significance of early United States Supreme Court decisions;
(X)
Key early Acts of the United States Congress, including some references to the
published text of the Congressional Record;
(Y)
Key actions of the first six Presidents; and
(Z)
American songs and poems that reflect the struggle for
Independence.
(3)
Biographical sketches of key individuals in early American history,
including:
(A)
Various Founding Fathers, primarily the signers of the Declaration and the U.S.
Constitution;
(B)
The first six Presidents, and particularly George Washington and key
individuals, such as Alexander Hamilton who served with him in war or in his
presidential cabinets;
(C)
Major contributors to Independence efforts, such as Patrick Henry and Paul
Revere, the Minutemen, the Black-robed regiment, and other war heroes;
and
(D)
Supreme Court Justices in the Founding Era, with emphasis on the first two Chief
Justices, John Jay and John Marshall, as well as 'America's Blackstone,' Chief
Justice of the New York Supreme Court, James Kent.
(f)
Instruction in economics, particularly in the high school curriculum, shall
include a systematic study of:
(1)
Economic systems, such as free market capitalism, socialism, and communism along
with the economic theories behind these systems but with an emphasis on the
American ideal of the free enterprise system, stressing the value of work,
personal responsibility, perseverance, and diligence;
(2)
The basic characteristics of a free enterprise system, including the roles
played by the rule of law, private property ownership including both real
property and property interests in one's own creative works, profit and loss,
competition and regulation, supply and demand, consumers and producers,
entrepreneurship, and technological innovation in creating and sustaining a free
enterprise system;
(3)
The concepts that the free enterprise system presents both economic risk and
economic liberty as well as the equality of opportunity of all citizens to
engage in free enterprise activities, yet recognizing that different abilities
and motivation in people will lead to unequal outcomes;
(4)
The benefits of economic growth, wealth creation, and technological innovation
and the role played by the free enterprise system in achieving these benefits as
compared to other economic systems;
(5)
The role of the United States Constitution in preserving economic freedom and
protecting private property, including such items as copyright and patents, free
trade, freedom of travel, the valuation of money, and limits on taxation; and
the property interest one has in one's own person, speech, ideas, beliefs, and
creations, and various statements of the Founders regarding the importance of
private property rights;
(6)
The rule of law, with the understanding that the rule of law entails a body of
stable law known and promulgated among the people, and its role in regulating a
fair economic playing field among citizens, commerce between the citizens of the
states, and commerce between the people of the United States and other nations,
and to prevent arbitrary legal decisions by unelected boards and authorities,
and Alexander Hamilton's role in establishing the government structure which
would provide the stability for a free enterprise system to thrive;
(7)
The impact of government spending, regulations, and tax, monetary, and trade
policies upon economic growth, entrepreneurship, productivity, and technological
innovation;
(8)
The opportunities presented by, and the challenges of, starting a business;
and
(9)
Economic philosophy that introduces the economic theories of Aristotle, Adam
Smith, John Stuart Mill, Friedrick von Hayek, Milton Friedman, John Maynard
Keynes, and Joseph Schumpter, among others, with an emphasis on the philosophy
of individualism as the American ideal in contrast to the philosophy of
collectivism.
(g)
Instruction in social studies, which combines the study of United States
history, American government and civics, and economics in kindergarten through
grade eight, shall provide age appropriate lessons of the principles and
documents of subsections (c), (d), and (e) of this Code section in instruction,
curricula, and activities.
20-2-1021.
(a)
To educate students about the sacrifices made for freedom in the founding of
this country and the values, principles, and philosophies on which this country
was founded, the full week in September which includes Constitution Day,
September 17, shall be recognized in public elementary and middle schools in
this state as Celebrate Freedom Week. Celebrate Freedom Week shall include at
least three hours of appropriate instruction, as determined by each local school
system, in each social studies class. The instruction shall include an
age-appropriate, in-depth study of the intent, meaning, and importance of the
Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, including the
Bill of Rights, in their historical context including the background of the
colonial era along with instruction about the Founding Fathers, such as the
signers of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution,
the first six Presidents, and particularly George Washington and key individuals
who served with him in war and in his presidential cabinets. During Celebrate
Freedom Week, a local school system shall require students in grades three
through eight to read at least one book that focuses on the Founding Era, either
the times and events or the people who made significant contributions to
independence or toward establishing the new federal or state governments. In
addition, a local school system shall require students in grades three through
eight to recite at least one of the following three excerpts at least once
during the week, and local school systems are encouraged to require daily
recitations from one or all of these excerpts at the beginning of each school
day:
(1)
From the Declaration of Independence:
We
hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – That to secure these
Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from
the Consent of the Governed ....;
(2)
From the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution:
We
the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense,
promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.; and
(3)
From the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights:
Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or
the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government
for a redress of grievances.
(b)
Upon written request from a student's parent or guardian, a local school system
shall excuse the student from the recitation required by this Code section. This
Code section shall not apply to a student who:
(1)
Has a conscientious objection to the recitation; or
(2)
Is the child of a representative of a foreign government to whom the United
States government extends diplomatic immunity.
(c)
This Code section shall apply beginning with the 2012-2013 school
year.
20-2-1022.
(a)
To increase student understanding of, and familiarity with, American historical
documents, and to provide curriculum support to classroom teachers of United
States history, American government and civics, economics, and social studies,
the Department of Education shall create an online instructional resource
website for teachers, which should include, but is not limited to, links to
websites, foundational documents, and lesson plan ideas. In addition, the
Department of Education shall create an online, age appropriate resource website
for students, which should include, but is not limited to, links to websites,
foundational documents, videos, and student enrichment activities. To
facilitate this process, the Department of Education shall, no later than
November 1, 2012, provide the House Committee on Education and the Senate
Education and Youth Committee with a proposed design of the website, along with
a listing of the teacher and student resources and an estimated cost of
implementation. These website resources shall support the requirements
specified in Code Section 20-2-1020.
20-2-1023.
(a)
To increase student understanding of, and familiarity with, American historical
documents, public schools may display historically important excerpts from, or
copies of, those documents in school classrooms and common areas as appropriate.
Local boards of education and charter schools shall allow and may encourage any
public school teacher or administrator to read or post in a public school
building, classroom, or event excerpts or portions of writings, documents,
records, or images that reflect the history of the United States, including, but
not limited to:
(1)
The Preamble to the Georgia Constitution;
(2)
The Declaration of Independence;
(3)
The United States Constitution;
(4)
The Bill of Rights;
(5)
The Mayflower Compact;
(6)
The national motto;
(7)
The Pledge of Allegiance;
(8)
The National Anthem;
(9)
The writings, speeches, documents, and proclamations of the Founding Fathers and
Presidents of the United States;
(10)
Decisions of the United States Supreme Court;
(11)
Acts of the Congress of the United States, including the published text of the
Congressional Record; and
(12)
Other documents of historic significance that have formed or influenced the
legal or governmental system of the United States, including such items as the
colonial laws, charters, Magna Carta, the English Petition of Rights, and the
English Bill of Rights.
(b)
As historical documents, there shall be no content based censorship of American
history and heritage documents referred to in this Code section due to their
religious or cultural nature.
20-2-1024.
The
State Board of Education shall require that all future adopted content standards
for United States history, American government and civics, economics, and social
studies reflect these specified requirements in this article. Full
implementation of these adopted content standards shall begin with the 2014-2015
school year. The State Board of Education shall provide the House Committee on
Education and the Senate Education and Youth Committee with a progress report
which includes the proposed content standards proposed for adoption on or before
December 31, 2012, and again on or before September 1, 2013.
20-2-1025.
The
State Board of Education shall require that any high school level curriculum
based tests, any end-of-course tests, and any criterion-referenced competency
tests developed and administered state wide in United States history, American
government and civics, economics, and social studies beginning with the
2014-2015 school year include questions to reflect the priorities of Code
Section 20-2-1020.
20-2-1026.
(a)
No later than October 1, 2012, the Professional Standards Commission, in
cooperation with the Department of Education, shall provide the House Committee
on Education and the Senate Education and Youth Committee with a proposal for a
30 hour online professional learning course for teachers for the purpose of
providing training on the instruction, activities, and curricula specified in
Code Section 20-2-1020. The course should be designed for easy adaptation to
on-site instruction opportunities. Such proposal shall include an estimated
cost of implementation for course development and the online management system
of delivery. The Professional Standards Commission, in cooperation with the
Department of Education, shall submit any final changes to funding estimates to
the House Committee on Education and the Senate Education and Youth Committee no
later than January 5, 2013, for consideration during the 2013 regular session of
the General Assembly prior to implementation.
(b)
In satisfying the requirements of this Code section, the Professional Standards
Commission and the State Board of Education may:
(1)
Develop a course that is administered internally by the Department of Education
which meets the requirements in Code Section 20-2-1020; or
(2)
Identify existing courses which are currently able to provide the online
content, resources, and training that meet the requirements in Code Section
20-2-1020.
(c)
No contracts may be entered into pursuant to this Code section, however, until
the General Assembly has appropriated funding for this purpose.
20-2-1027.
The
Department of Education and the Professional Standards Commission shall submit a
biennial report by September 1 of each odd-numbered year to the House Committee
on Education and the Senate Education and Youth Committee regarding the
implementation of this
article."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
