Relating to the inclusion of an understanding of communist regimes and ideologies in the essential knowledge and skills for the social studies curriculum for certain public school students.

BILL ANALYSIS

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Polling from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation¹ and YouGov² indicates a growing openness to socialism and communism, particularly among younger Americans. While 81 percent of Americans view communism unfavorably, and 59 percent hold negative views of socialism (YouGov, 2024), trends show younger generations are increasingly receptive to collectivist ideologies. This shift suggests gaps in historical education, failing to adequately teach students about the oppressive nature and human rights abuses committed under communist regimes.

¹ Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. (2020). Annual Poll on U.S. Attitudes Toward Socialism. Retrieved from https://victimsofcommunism.org/annual-poll/2020-annual-poll/

² YouGov. (2024, February 21). Would Americans choose communism or fascism? Retrieved from https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/50737-would-americans-choose-communism-or-fascism

S.B. 24 seeks to address this gap by ensuring that Texas students receive a comprehensive education on the history, tactics, and consequences of communism. By highlighting the suffering inflicted by communist regimes and contrasting their ideologies with the founding principles of the United States, students will develop a clearer understanding of the dangers of collectivism, totalitarianism, and government overreach.

Some examples of relevant historical events that counter ideologies and the principles of individual liberty, democracy, and free enterprise include the Venezuelan Crisis (2010-Present), the Cultural Revolution in China (1966-1976), and Cuba's Communist Regime (1959-Present).

S.B. 24 requires that Texas schools teach about communist regimes, using historical examples and victim testimonies, to contrast communist ideologies with American freedoms, fostering critical thinking and countering the normalization of communism.

S.B. 24 provides for a factual and comprehensive education on communist atrocities, offering a balanced comparison with American principles, and preventing ideological indoctrination through well-documented history.

Key Provisions

1.Comprehensive education on communism (Section 1, Subsection h-11). Requires the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) to incorporate a curriculum on communist regimes and ideologies into all grade levels.

2.Victim testimonies and firsthand accounts (Section 1, Subsection h-12). Requires the inclusion of testimonies from survivors of communist oppression through in-person lectures, videos, or written materials.

3.Comparative analysis of communism vs. U.S. Principles (Section 1, Subsection h-11(3)). Contrasts communist and totalitarian ideologies with the American founding principles of democracy, free enterprise, and individual rights.

4.Modern communist threats (Section 1, Subsection h-11(4)). Addresses ongoing global threats posed by communist governments, such as China, North Korea, and Cuba, and their impact on U.S. national security.

5.SBOE standards and oversight (Section 3). Requires SBOE to develop and publish curriculum standards by June 1, 2026.

As proposed, S.B. 24 amends current law relating to the inclusion of an understanding of communist regimes and ideologies in the essential knowledge and skills for the social studies curriculum for public school students.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 28.002, Education Code, by adding Subsections (h-11) and (h-12), as follows:

(h-11) Requires the State Board of Education (SBOE), in adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the social studies curriculum for each grade level from kindergarten through grade 12, as appropriate, to adopt essential knowledge and skills that develop each student's understanding of communist regimes and ideologies and include age appropriate and developmentally appropriate instruction with information on:

(1) the history of and tactics used by communist movements in the United States;

(2) historical events and atrocities attributable to communist regimes, including the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward, the Holodomor, otherwise known as the Ukrainian Famine, the Soviet-era political purge known as the Great Terror, the Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, the origins and policies of the Communist Party of Cuba, communist guerrilla movements in Latin America, and the oppression and suffering experienced by people living under communist regimes, including mass murder, violent land seizures, show trials, concentration camps, forced labor, poverty, and general economic deterioration;

(3) a comparative analysis of the ideologies of communism and totalitarianism contrasted with the United States' founding principles of freedom and democracy and collectivist ideologies contrasted with the United States' founding principles of individual rights, merit-based advancement, and free enterprise;

(4) modern threats to the United States and its allies posed by communist regimes and ideologies;

(5) common economic, industrial, and political events that historically precede communist revolutions;

(6) the evolution of communist ideologies from economic, class-based theories into broader cultural movements that divide societies and maintain collective control over individual rights;

(7) common historical and modern methods used to spread communist ideologies, including propaganda, public shaming tactics, censorship, and forced conformity; and

(8) first-person accounts, in the form of in-person, video-recorded, or written testimony, from the victims of communist regimes.

(h-12) Provides that SBOE, in adopting the essential knowledge and skills required under Subsection (h-11):

(1) is required to adopt and publish standards for the required instruction;

(2) is required to seek input from victims of communism willing to share their first-person accounts and nationally recognized organizations dedicated to commemorating victims of communism; and

(3) is authorized to incorporate material from existing educational programs that provide instruction on the topic of communist regimes and ideologies, if the material meets the standards adopted by SBOE under Subdivision (1).

SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2026�2027 school year.

SECTION 3. Requires SBOE, not later than June 1, 2026, to review and revise, as needed, the essential knowledge and skills of the social studies curriculum as required by Section 28.002(h-11), Education Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.