By:  Griggs (Senate Sponsor - Nelson)                           H.C.R. No. 73 
	(In the Senate - Received from the House April 28, 2003; 
May 1, 2003, read first time and referred to Committee on 
Education; May 19, 2003, reported favorably by the following vote:  
Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 19, 2003, sent to printer.)


HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

	WHEREAS, Bombarded with media images and messages that seem 
to glorify irresponsible and destructive behavior and that elevate 
figures in the sports and entertainment industries to celebrity 
status irrespective of their personal behavior, a growing number of 
Americans are becoming increasingly troubled about the state of the 
union and the character of America's youth; and
	WHEREAS, Concerns about children in today's society are 
compounded by highly publicized accounts of violence in our 
schools, high levels of drug use and promiscuity, and the 
increasing inability of many young people to fulfill their 
responsibilities as students; and
	WHEREAS, Although these behaviors and the self-destructive 
attitudes that engender them frequently manifest themselves in the 
classroom and create problems for teachers, school administrators, 
and other students, they also are awakening a conviction within the 
education community and among parents, policy makers, and other 
concerned citizens that our public schools have an important role 
to play, along with family, religion, and the larger community, in 
helping children develop good consciences and ethical behavior; and
	WHEREAS, While the primary responsibility for instilling 
character in our nation's youth rests with each child's parents, our 
schools can play a pivotal role in reinforcing the values being 
taught in the home through a curriculum that treats the development 
of personal character traits as a matter equally as important as 
academic achievement; and
	WHEREAS, The public school system's role as a force in 
society to promulgate the fundamental values and beliefs on which 
this nation was founded becomes more important at a time when 
changes in family structures and the pressures of the modern age 
leave many parents, whether busy with work or absent altogether, 
unable to impart those values and beliefs that once were vital 
components of family life; and
	WHEREAS, Numerous school districts, both within the state and 
across the nation, have either implemented character education 
programs or successfully incorporated a virtues program into their 
daily curricula for students in kindergarten through 12th grade; 
and
	WHEREAS, Often developed as a joint project involving 
faith-based communities, parent-teacher organizations, public 
school administrators and teachers, the local business community, 
students, and elected school officials, virtues education programs 
focus the attention of schoolchildren on those character traits of 
prominent past and present individuals that display the virtues 
society most highly prizes; and
	WHEREAS, By stressing the fundamental importance of values 
that all can agree are worth emulating, virtues education programs 
can help solve problems such as student violence, teenage 
pregnancies, and substance abuse; help raise levels of academic 
performance; and restore hope in the future of society; and
	WHEREAS, Some examples of virtues that many individuals 
consider appropriate include attentiveness, availability, 
citizenship, compassion, confidence, contentment, courage, 
dependability, diligence, discretion, efficiency, encouragement, 
enthusiasm, fairness, faith, forgiveness, friendliness, 
generosity, gentleness, gratitude, honesty, humility, initiative, 
joy, kindness, obedience, optimism, patience, peace, perseverance, 
purity, respect, responsibility, reverence, self-control, 
thoughtfulness, and wisdom; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby direct the Texas Education Agency and the State Board of 
Education to adopt and promote a virtues education program and to 
provide school districts with materials and support to assist in 
the program's implementation; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That the virtues education program include 
age-appropriate curricula and educational material and be 
structured to provide instruction beginning in kindergarten and 
continuing through 12th grade; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 
copies of this resolution to the commissioner of education and to 
the chair of the State Board of Education.



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