House Bill 435

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO REVISE THE AMERICAN HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM AND TEXTBOOKS REQUIREMENTS TO INCLUDE GREATER INSTRUCTION ON THE NATION'S FOUNDING DOCUMENTS, TO BE IMPLEMENTED BEGINNING WITH THE 2014-2015 ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR; TO PROVIDE THAT LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS SHALL REQUIRE THAT THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS USED AND LESSON COMPONENTS ADHERE TO THE CURRICULUM ADOPTED BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION; TO REQUIRE THAT THE CURRICULUM BE BASED ON RELEVANT EVIDENTIARY AND HISTORICAL FACTS, DATA AND DOCUMENTATION; TO PROHIBIT THE INCLUSION OF HISTORICAL REVISIONISM AND EVIDENCE OF BIAS IN INSTRUCTION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) The State Board of Education shall revise the American history and social studies curriculum and textbooks requirements for the state's public schools, which such curriculum and textbooks shall include greater instruction, thorough discussions and partial- and full-text excerpts of the nation's founding documents, and shall be implemented beginning with the 2014-2015 academic school year. Each local school board shall require that the instructional materials used and components of the lessons taught adhere to the American history and social studies curriculum requirements adopted by the State Board of Education using no less than the following five (5) content strands: domestic affairs; global affairs; civil rights and human rights; economics; and culture. The curriculum must be based on the relevant evidentiary and historical facts, data and documentation, and the lessons provided to students shall avoid inclusion of historical revisionism and evidence of bias through selective instruction.

(2) For purposes of this section, the term "historical revisionism" means the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2014.