Bill Text: TX HB4093 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to civics instruction public school students and instruction policies in public schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-29 - Referred to Public Education [HB4093 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB4093-Introduced.html
| By: White | H.B. No. 4093 | |
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| relating to civics instruction public school students and | ||
| instruction policies in public schools. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subsections (h-1), (h-2), and (h-3) to read as follows: | ||
| (h-1) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the | ||
| social studies curriculum, the State Board of Education shall adopt | ||
| essential knowledge and skills that develop each student's civic | ||
| knowledge, including an understanding of: | ||
| (1) the fundamental moral, political, and | ||
| intellectual foundations of the American experiment in | ||
| self-government, as well as the history, qualities, traditions, and | ||
| features of civic engagement in the United States; | ||
| (2) the structure, function, and processes of | ||
| government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels; | ||
| and | ||
| (3) the founding documents of the United States, | ||
| including the Declaration of Independence, the United States | ||
| Constitution, the Federalist Papers (including but not limited to | ||
| Essays 10 and 51), excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy | ||
| in America, the first Lincoln-Douglas debate, and the writings of | ||
| the Founding Fathers of the United States. | ||
| (h-2) In the instruction of the essential knowledge and | ||
| skills for the social studies curriculum, in applicable courses of | ||
| Texas, United States, and world history, government, civics, social | ||
| studies, or similar subject areas: | ||
| (1) no teacher shall be compelled by a policy of any | ||
| state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter | ||
| school, or school administration to discuss current events or | ||
| widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy | ||
| or social affairs; | ||
| (2) teachers who choose to discuss current events or | ||
| widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy | ||
| or social affairs shall, to the best of their ability, strive to | ||
| explore such issues from diverse and contending perspectives | ||
| without giving deference to any one perspective; | ||
| (3) no school district or teacher shall require, make | ||
| part of a course, or award course grading or credit including extra | ||
| credit for, student work for, affiliation with, or service learning | ||
| in association with any organization engaged in lobbying for | ||
| legislation at the local, state or federal level, or in social or | ||
| public policy advocacy; and | ||
| (4) no school district or teacher shall require, make | ||
| part of a course, or award course grading or credit including extra | ||
| credit for, political activism, lobbying, or efforts to persuade | ||
| members of the legislative or executive branch to take specific | ||
| actions by direct communication at the local, state or federal | ||
| level, or any practicum or like activity involving social or public | ||
| policy advocacy. | ||
| (5) No teacher, administrator, or other employee in | ||
| any state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter | ||
| school, or school administration shall be 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. | ||
| (6) No teacher, administrator, or other employee in | ||
| any state agency, school district, campus, open-enrollment charter | ||
| school, or school administration shall shall require, or make part | ||
| of a course the following concepts: (1) one race or sex is | ||
| inherently superior to another race or sex; (2) an individual, by | ||
| virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or | ||
| oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously; (3) an | ||
| individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse | ||
| treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex; (4) | ||
| members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat | ||
| others without respect to race or sex; (5) an individual's moral | ||
| character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex; (6) | ||
| an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears | ||
| responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members | ||
| of the same race or sex; (7) any individual should feel discomfort, | ||
| guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on | ||
| account of his or her race or sex; or (8) meritocracy or traits such | ||
| as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a | ||
| members of a particular race to oppress members of another race. | ||
| (h-3) No private funding shall be accepted by state | ||
| agencies, school district, campuses, open-enrollment charter | ||
| schools, or school administrations for the purposes of curriculum | ||
| development, purchase or choice of curricular materials, teacher | ||
| training, or professional development pertaining to courses on | ||
| Texas, United States, and world history, government, civics, social | ||
| studies, or similar subject areas. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022 | ||
| school year. | ||
| SECTION 3. 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, 2021. | ||
