SB1572

THE CONTEXT: The State Board of Education (SBE) must: 1) prescribe high school social studies academic standards that include American civics education and a comparative discussion of ideologies that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy; 2) include in the high school social studies competency requirements that, in order to graduate from high school or obtain a high school equivalency diploma, a student must correctly answer at least 70 questions on the civics test; 3) work with specified entities to develop civic education standards that school districts and charter schools must include in the high school...

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would require each public school to observe Celebrate Freedom Week, during which the public school must include all the following in each social studies course: a; for the 1st-12th grades, instruction on the original intent, meaning, importance and historical context of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, including the Bill of Rights; b; for the 1st-12th grades, instruction on the relationship between the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and, in the history of the United States, the: i; rich diversity of the people of the United States as a nation of immigrants; ii. American Revolution; iii; creation of the United States Constitution; and iv; abolitionist movement, including the relationship between the abolitionist movement, Emancipation Proclamation and women's suffrage movement; and c; for the 3rd-12th grades, recitation by students of a specified passage of the Declaration of Independence, details exemptions for a student from the required recitation of the specified passage of the Declaration of Independence, and authorize SBE to adopt rules and policies to implement Celebrate Freedom Week requirements.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to turn the Legislature's standard for public schools into an enforceable rule. It would require each public school to observe Celebrate Freedom Week, during which the public school must include all the following in each social studies course: a. for the 1st-12th grades, instruction on the original intent, meaning, importance and historical context of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, including the Bill of Rights; b. for the 1st-12th grades, instruction on the relationship between the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and, in the history of the United States, the: i. rich diversity of the people of the United States as a nation of immigrants; ii. American Revolution; iii. creation of the United States Constitution; and iv. abolitionist movement, including the relationship between the abolitionist movement, Emancipation Proclamation and women's suffrage movement; and c. for the 3rd-12th grades, recitation by students of a specified passage of the Declaration of Independence, and would also details exemptions for a student from the required recitation of the specified passage of the Declaration of Independence, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.