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The Details:
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, including an understanding of the following:
· the history, qualities, traditions, and features of civic engagement in the United States;
· the structure, function, and processes of government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels; and
· the founding documents of the United States, including the following:
o the Declaration of Independence;
o the U.S. Constitution;
o the Federalist Papers, including Essays 10 and 51;
o excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America;
o the transcript of the first Lincoln-Douglas Debate; and
o the writings of the founding fathers of the United States.
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 the best of the teacher's ability, 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 any organization engaged in lobbying for legislation at the federal, state, or local level or in social or public policy advocacy;
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 the following concepts:
o one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex;
o an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously;
o an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of the individual's race or sex;
o members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex;
o an individual's moral character is necessarily determined by the individual's race or sex;
o an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex;
o an individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of the individual's race or sex; or
o meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist or were created by members of a particular race to oppress members of another race.
The bill's provisions relating to courses in the social studies curriculum and private funding apply beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.
