Supplement: TX HB3979 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Analysis (House Committee Report)

For additional supplements on Texas HB3979 please see the Bill Drafting List
Bill Title: Relating to the social studies curriculum in public schools.

Status: 2021-06-15 - Effective on 9/1/21 [HB3979 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HB3979-Analysis_House_Committee_Report_.html

BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 3979

By: Toth

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Concerns have been raised relating to social studies curriculum in Texas public schools and these concerns have resulted in calls to build a curriculum that fosters a student's understanding of the fundamental moral, political, and intellectual foundations of the American experiment in self‑government.

 

There are additional calls to prohibit a teacher from being compelled to discuss current events or widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy or social affairs and to prohibit a teacher, administrator, or other employee of a state agency, school district, or open-enrollment charter school from, among other things, being required to engage in training, orientation, or therapy that presents any form of race or sex stereotyping or blame on the basis of race or sex.

 

C.S.H.B. 3979 seeks to address these and other concerns by providing for the development of students' civic knowledge in Texas social studies curriculum standards.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

 

ANALYSIS

 

C.S.H.B. 3979 amends the Education Code to require the State Board of Education (SBOE), in adopting state social studies curriculum standards, to adopt essential knowledge and skills that develop each student's civic knowledge and sets out content required to be included in those standards. The bill requires the SBOE to review and revise, as needed, the curriculum standards not later than December 31, 2022. The bill's provisions relating to the adoption of state curriculum standards apply beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.

 

C.S.H.B. 3979, with respect to courses in the social studies curriculum in Texas history, United States history, world history, government, civics, social studies, or similar subject areas, does the following:

·         prohibits a state agency, public school district, or open-enrollment charter school from accepting private funding for the purpose of developing a curriculum, purchasing or selecting curriculum materials, or providing teacher training or professional development for such a course;

·         prohibits a teacher from being compelled to discuss current events or widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy or social affairs;

·         requires a teacher who chooses to discuss such events or issues to strive to explore those topics from diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective;

·         prohibits a district, charter school, or teacher from requiring, making part of a course, or awarding a grade or course credit for the following:

o   a student's work for, affiliation with, or service learning in association with certain organizations;

o   a student's political activism, lobbying, or efforts to persuade members of the legislative or executive branch to take specific actions by direct communication at the federal, state, or local level; or

o   a student's participation in any practicum or similar activity involving social or public policy advocacy;

·         prohibits an employee of a state agency, district, or charter school from being required to engage in training, orientation, or therapy that presents any form of race or sex stereotyping or blame on the basis of race or sex; and

·         prohibits an employee of a state agency, district, or charter school from requiring or making part of a course certain concepts relating to race and sex.

The bill's provisions relating to courses in the social studies curriculum and private funding apply beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2021.

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

While C.S.H.B. 3979 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

 

The substitute does not include a campus or school administration among the entities to which the original's prohibitions on required training, orientation, therapy, and course components relating to certain concepts addressing race and sex apply. 

 

The substitute does not include a specification in the original that a teacher may not be compelled by a policy of any state agency, district, campus, charter school, or school administration to discuss certain events or issues. However, the substitute includes the provision prohibiting a teacher from being compelled to discuss the events or issues but without that specification that it be discussion compelled by the policy of those entities.

 

The substitute includes a charter school, which is not included in the original, among the entities both the substitute and original prohibit from requiring, making part of a course, or awarding a grade or course credit based on certain student activities.

 

The substitute includes provisions not in the original establishing that the bill's provisions apply beginning with the specified school years and requiring the SBOE to review and revise the state social studies curriculum standards.

 

 

 

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