Senate Bill 2302

AN ACT TO ENACT THE TEACHING HONESTY, RESPECT, INTEGRITY, VIRTUE, AND EXCELLENCE (THRIVE) ACT; TO DIRECT THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL REQUIRE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION COURSES TO BE TAUGHT IN ALL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF THIS STATE; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT, NOT LATER THAN JUNE 30, 2026, TO APPROVE A LIST OF COMPLIANT COURSES AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS; TO PROVIDE A LIST OF VALUES AND CHARACTER TRAITS THE COURSES ARE TO TEACH; TO DIRECT EACH SCHOOL BOARD TO ADOPT A PROCESS TO ISSUE A PUBLIC NOTICE OF THE ADOPTION OF THE SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION COURSES, TO MAKE COURSE MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION, AND TO PROVIDE PARENTS A MEANS TO OPT THEIR CHILDREN OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE COURSES; TO REQUIRE ANNUAL REPORTING BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO THE LEGISLATURE; TO REQUIRE EACH SCHOOL BOARD TO ADOPT A POLICY TO MAKE THE SCHOOL PREMISES AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION BY STUDENTS, WITH THE CONSENT OF THE STUDENT'S PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN, IN AFTER-SCHOOL INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES THAT INSTRUCT PUPILS IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL, HISTORICAL, TRADITIONAL, OR RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION COURSES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) This section shall be known as the Teaching Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Virtue, and Excellence (THRIVE) Act.

(2) Not later than the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, the State Department of Education shall require developmentally appropriate success sequence and character education courses to be taught in all public elementary and secondary schools of this state. Not later than June 30, 2026, the department shall approve a list of courses and instructional materials that strictly comply with this section. The department shall not include any programs, curricula or materials in the approved list that contradict or undermine respect for the character traits and personal skills required to be taught under this section. The department's approval of courses and instructional materials under this section is ministerial only and not discretionary. Districts and schools may satisfy the requirements of this section only by adopting courses from this approved list.

(3) Courses taught under this section shall do all of the following:

(a) Teach the value of finishing high school, working full-time, and getting married before having children; and

(b) Teach only the following character traits and fundamental values deeply rooted in the history and tradition of the United States, particularly the State of Mississippi:

(i) Trustworthiness, including honesty, reliability, punctuality, and loyalty;

(ii) Responsibility, including hard work, accountability, diligence, good judgment, perseverance, and self-control;

(iii) Care for family, including parents, siblings, and future spouses and children;

(iv) Kindness and generosity toward others;

(v) Respect and care for human life;

(vi) Respect for parental authority;

(vii) Respect for parents' obligations to children;

(viii) Respect for the property of other people;

(ix) Respect for legitimate authority and law;

(x) Respect for patriotism, service to the community, and concern for the common good;

(xi) Respect for religious faith, morality, wisdom, and knowledge;

(xii) Respect for lifelong marriage, sexual fidelity within marriage, and sexual abstinence outside of marriage;

(xiii) Gratitude;

(xiv) Charity; and

(xv) Courage.

(4) Each school board shall adopt a process to issue a public notice of the adoption of the success sequence and character education courses required in this section, to make course materials available for public inspection, and to provide parents a means to opt their children out of participation in the courses. Participation in the success sequence and character education courses may be terminated by the student's parent or legal guardian at any time upon written notice to the school board. No student whose parent or legal guardian elects to opt out shall be required to participate in the success sequence and character education courses.

(5) The State Department of Education shall provide annually, no later than sixty (60) days after the beginning of each school year beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chairs of the Senate and House Education Committees, a report stating, as of the reporting date, the total number of public school districts, the total number and names of schools and districts that have adopted success sequence and character education courses in compliance with this section, the total number and names of districts not in compliance, and actions taken by the department to bring noncompliant districts into compliance. The report shall be made available to the public in a clearly accessible manner on the department's website.

(6) The department, districts, and schools may accept federal or private funds for the purpose of assisting with implementation of success sequence and character education courses in compliance with this section.

(7) (a) Not later than the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, each district's school board shall adopt a policy to make the school premises available for voluntary participation by students, with the consent of the student's parent or legal guardian, in after-school instructional programs provided by third parties that instruct pupils in the philosophical, historical, traditional, or religious justifications for the success sequence and character education courses. The State Department of Education shall make a list of approved after-school programs available to districts, schools, and parents and shall adopt a process, in cooperation with the third-party providers, to obtain the consent of the student and the student's parent or legal guardian for the student's participation. Consent for a student's participation in the program may be revoked at any time by the student, parent, or legal guardian upon written notice to the school or school board.

(b) The purpose of the after-school instruction program is to provide philosophical, historical, traditional, or religious justifications for the success sequence and character traits set forth in this section. No after-school instructional program that is inconsistent with that purpose or subject matter may be approved. Subject to this requirement of purpose and subject-matter consistency, the school board may not deny approval to any after-school program based on its viewpoint or on the grounds that it contains expression protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution or Article 3, Section 18, of the Mississippi Constitution.

(8) The State Department of Education may adopt rules as necessary to implement this act.

(9) In the event of a conflict between this section and any other state statute, administrative code, regulation, guidance, or policy, this section shall control.

SECTION 2. If any one or more provisions, sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words of this act or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is found to be unconstitutional, the same is hereby declared to be severable, and the balance of this act shall remain effective notwithstanding such unconstitutionality. The Legislature hereby declares that it would have passed this act, and each provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word thereof, irrespective of whether any one or more provisions, sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words be declared unconstitutional.

SECTION 3. Section 1 of this act shall be codified in Chapter 13, Title 37, Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.