By: Bonnen H.B. No. 4509
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to instruction in informed patriotism in public schools.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 4.001, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 4.001.  Public Education Mission and Objectives. (b)
  The objectives of public education are:
         OBJECTIVE 1:  Parents will be full partners with education
  in the education of their children
         OBJECTIVE 2:  Students will be encouraged and challenged to
  meet their full educational potential.
         OBJECTIVE 3:  Through enhanced dropout prevention efforts,
  all students will remain in school until they obtain a high school
  diploma.
         OBJECTIVE 4:  A well-balanced and appropriate curriculum
  will be provided to all students. Through that curriculum,
  students will be prepared to succeed in a variety of postsecondary
  activities, including employment and enrollment in institutions of
  higher education.
         OBJECTIVE 5:  Educators willmustpreparecultivate in
  students an informed patriotism, which consists primarily of
  leading students through close study of America's and Texas'
  founding documents. This objective's purpose is to:
         (A)  beincrease students' knowledge of their country's and
  state's deepest and noblest purposes,
      (B)  enhance students' intellectual independence, in order
  that they become thoughtful, activeeffective citizens who have an
  appreciation for the basic valuesfundamental moral principles of
  our state and national heritage, and
         (C)guide students towardwho can understanding and
  productively functioning in a free enterprise society.
         OBJECTIVE 6:  Qualified and highly effective personnel will
  be recruited, developed, and retained.
         OBJECTIVE 7:  The state's students will demonstrate
  exemplary performance in comparison to national and international
  standards.
         OBJECTIVE 8:  School campuses will maintain a safe and
  disciplined environment conducive to student learning.
         OBJECTIVE 9:  Educators will keep abreast of the development
  of creative and innovative techniques and instruction and
  administration using those techniques as appropriate to improve
  student learning.
         OBJECTIVE 10:  Technology will be implemented and used to
  increase the effectiveness of student learning, instructional
  management, staff development, and administration.
         OBJECTIVE 11:  The State Board of Education, the agency, and
  the commissioner, shall assist school districts and charter schools
  in providing career and technology education to students.
         SECTION 2.  Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 28.002.  Required Curriculum. (h)  The State Board of
  Education and each school district shall requirefoster the
  continuation of the tradition of teaching ofUnited Statesinformed
  American patriotism and Texas history and the free enterprise
  system in regular subject matter and in reading courses and in the
  adoption of instructional materials for kindergarten through grade
  12. A primary purpose of the public school curriculum is to prepare
  thoughtful, activeeffective citizens who understand the importance
  of patriotism and can function productively in a free enterprise
  society with appreciation for the basic democratic valuesmoral
  principles of our state and national heritage.
         SECTION 3.  Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (h-1) 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 civics 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.
         SECTION 4.  This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022
  school year.
         SECTION 5.  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.