A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 59-18-350, RELATING TO THE CYCLICAL REVIEW OF STATE STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS REQUIRED IN THE EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT SO AS TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE  REVIEW AND REVISION PROCESS FOR STATE SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS TO ENSURE THE STANDARDS TAKE A TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO HISTORY, TO SPECIFY QUALIFICATIONS FOR PARTIES RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWING AND REVISING THE STANDARDS, AND TO PROVIDE RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1.  Section 59-18-350 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding a subsection to read:

    (D)(1) An individual responsible for reviewing or making revisions to the state standards and assessments provided in subsection (A) may not have a record of promoting political or social issues in classroom instruction, including the presentation of theoretical perspectives that are critical of society and culture as being factual.

       (2) An individual responsible for reviewing or making revisions to the state social studies standards and assessments as provided for in subsection (A) may not have a record of supporting narratives which characterize the founding of the United States, its evolution to a constitutional republic, or the history of the United States in general, as a story of oppression.

       (3) A majority of the State Board of Education designees responsible for reviewing and making revisions to the state social studies standards and assessments must be subject matter historians, including constitutional history experts and military historians. For the purposes of this subsection, "historian" means a person with a doctorate in United States History or a subject matter expert including a published author of a literary work regarding a historically significant person, time period, or event.   This subsection does not apply to the task force review established in subsection (A).

       (4) Individuals assigned by the State Board of Education to write revisions to the state social studies standards shall ensure a traditional approach to history, which emphasizes the importance of leading individuals and key events in shaping the political, constitutional, intellectual, economic, diplomatic, and military history of the United States, is embodied in the standards.

       (5) The State Superintendent of Education, according to her discretion, shall certify that all proposed appointees meet the foregoing qualifications and may remove any individual if a violation of this section is discovered at any point in the standards and assessment review process.

SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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