MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2011 Regular Session
To: Education
By: Representatives Gunn, Chism, Frierson, Guice, Martinson, McGee, Monsour, Staples
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO MAINTAIN CERTAIN STANDARDS IN THE SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM USED IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND TO PROHIBIT HISTORY COURSES FROM BEING REVISED FOR PARTISAN OR PHILOSOPHICAL PURPOSES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
WHEREAS, on March 12, 2010, the Texas State Board of Education, which consists of fifteen (15) elected members statewide, voted to adopt revisions to their social studies curriculum for the 2010-2011 school year (formally referred to as revisions to Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Chapter 113, Subchapters A-C, and Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Chapter 118, Subchapter A); and
WHEREAS, it is widely presumed that the changes to the social studies curriculum in Texas will have a national impact on textbook content since Texas is the second largest purchaser of textbooks in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the revisions in the Texas curriculum are a sharp departure from widely accepted historical teachings which are driven by an inappropriate ideological desire to influence academic content standards for children in public schools; and
WHEREAS, the changes in Texas, if subsequently reflected in textbooks nationwide, pose a serious threat to the apolitical nature of public school governance and academic content standards in the State of Mississippi; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. The State Board of Education shall maintain a social studies curriculum to be taught in the public schools which is designed to reinforce the basic knowledge, skills and understandings pertinent to social studies. The goals of the curriculum must be to deliver citizenship education, through the different subject area strands of civics, history, geography and economics, in order to foster the development of lifelong, responsible, accountable, global citizens in a democratic society. Any revision to the 2011 Mississippi Social Studies Framework and Guide must be accomplished by an education team in a manner similar to that employed by the State Board of Education for that revision. The State Board of Education shall require all courses in history to maintain a focus on historically significant events, periods and persons and to present a complete view of history. Public school history courses may not promote any partisan agenda or philosophy and may not be revised for the purpose of significantly changing generally accepted history to create bias toward an ideological position.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2011.