SF 2048 (LSB 5680XS (3) 90)

SENATE FILE 2048

BY  ZAUN

A BILL FOR

An Act modifying provisions related to the social studies instruction provided to students enrolled in grades one through twelve in school districts by creating celebrate freedom week.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.11, subsections 3 and 4, Code 2024, are amended to read as follows:
   3.  a.  The following areas shall be taught in grades one through six:  English-language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, health, physical education, traffic safety, music, visual art, and, subject to section 279.80, age-appropriate and research-based human growth and development. Computer science instruction incorporating the standards established under section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (4), shall be offered in at least one grade level commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2023. The health curriculum shall include the characteristics of communicable diseases. The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum definitions for implementing the elementary program.
   b.  (1)  The social studies curriculum shall include, during the week in which September 17 falls, or during another full school week as determined by the board of directors of a school district, instruction related to the original intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution, within the historical contexts of such founding documents.
   (2)  The instruction related to the Declaration of Independence described in subparagraph (1) shall include an examination of the relationship between the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent history of the United States, including the United States being a nation of immigrants, the American revolution, the formulation of the Constitution of the United States, and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation and the women’s suffrage movement.
   (3)  The instruction described in subparagraphs (1) and (2) shall not censor any religious references in the writings of the founding fathers.
   (4)  (a)  The instruction described in this paragraph shall require students enrolled in grades three through six to study and recite the following portion of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”.
   (b)  The board of directors of a school district shall not require a student to recite a portion of the Declaration of Independence, as required in subparagraph division (a), if any of the following apply:
   (i)  The student’s parent or guardian submits to the school district a written request that the student be excused from such recitation.
   (ii)  The school district determines that the student has a conscientious objection to the recitation.
   (iii)  The student is the child of a representative of a foreign government to whom diplomatic immunity has been awarded pursuant to the federal Diplomatic Relations Act of 1978, as codified at 22 U.S.C. §254a et seq.
   c.  Paragraph “b” shall not apply to a nonpublic school.
   4.  a.  The following shall be taught in grades seven and eight:  English-language arts; social studies; mathematics; science; health; age-appropriate and research-based human growth and development; career exploration and development; physical education; music; and visual art. Computer science instruction incorporating the standards established under section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (4), shall be offered in at least one grade level commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2023. Career exploration and development shall be designed so that students are appropriately prepared to create an individual career and academic plan pursuant to section 279.61, incorporate foundational career and technical education concepts aligned with the six career and technical education service areas as defined in  subsection 5, paragraph “h”, incorporate relevant twenty-first century skills to facilitate career readiness, and introduce students to career opportunities within the local community and across this state. The health curriculum shall include age-appropriate and research-based information regarding the characteristics of sexually transmitted diseases. The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum definitions for implementing the program in grades seven and eight. However, this subsection shall not apply to the teaching of career exploration and development in nonpublic schools.
   b.  (1)  The social studies curriculum shall include, during the week in which September 17 falls, or during another full school week as determined by the board of directors of a school district, instruction related to the original intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution, within the historical contexts of such founding documents.
   (2)  The instruction related to the Declaration of Independence described in subparagraph (1) shall include an examination of the relationship between the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent history of the United States, including the United States being a nation of immigrants, the American revolution, the formulation of the Constitution of the United States, and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation and the women’s suffrage movement.
   (3)  The instruction described in subparagraphs (1) and (2) shall not censor any religious references in the writings of the founding fathers.
   (4)  (a)  The instruction described in this paragraph shall require students to study and recite the following portion of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”.
   (b)  The board of directors of a school district shall not require a student to recite a portion of the Declaration of Independence, as required in subparagraph division (a), if any of the following apply:
   (i)  The student’s parent or guardian submits to the school district a written request that the student be excused from such recitation.
   (ii)  The school district determines that the student has a conscientious objection to the recitation.
   (iii)  The student is the child of a representative of a foreign government to whom diplomatic immunity has been awarded pursuant to the federal Diplomatic Relations Act of 1978, as codified at 22 U.S.C. §254a et seq.
   c.  Paragraph “b” shall not apply to a nonpublic school.
    Sec. 2.  Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code 2024, is amended to read as follows:
   b.  Five units of the social studies including instruction in voting statutes and procedures, voter registration requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting systems in the election process, and the method of acquiring and casting an absentee ballot. All students shall complete a minimum of one-half unit of United States government and one unit of United States history.
   (1)  The one-half unit of United States government shall include the voting procedure as described in this lettered paragraph and section 280.9A. The government instruction shall also include a study of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution and an assessment of a student’s knowledge of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
   (2)  (a)  The one unit of United States history shall include, during the week in which September 17 falls, or during another full school week as determined by the board of directors of a school district, instruction related to the original intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution, within the historical contexts of such founding documents.
   (b)  The instruction related to the Declaration of Independence described in subparagraph division (a) shall include an examination of the relationship between the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent history of the United States, including the United States being a nation of immigrants, the American revolution, the formulation of the Constitution of the United States, and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation and the women’s suffrage movement.
   (c)  The instruction described in subparagraph divisions (a) and (b) shall not censor any religious references in the writings of the founding fathers.
   (d)  (i)  The instruction described in this subparagraph shall require students to study and recite the following portion of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”.
   (ii)  The board of directors of a school district shall not require a student to recite a portion of the Declaration of Independence, as required in subparagraph subdivision (i), if any of the following apply:
   (A)  The student’s parent or guardian submits to the school district a written request that the student be excused from such recitation.
   (B)  The school district determines that the student has a conscientious objection to the recitation.
   (C)  The student is the child of a representative of a foreign government to whom diplomatic immunity has been awarded pursuant to the federal Diplomatic Relations Act of 1978, as codified at 22 U.S.C. §254a et seq.
   (3)  Subparagraph (2) shall not apply to a nonpublic school.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill modifies provisions related to the social studies instruction provided to students enrolled in grades 1 through 12 in school districts.
   The bill requires that the social studies curriculum provided to students enrolled in grades one through eight, and the one unit of United States history instruction provided as part of the social studies curriculum to students enrolled in grades 9 through 12, include during the week in which September 17 falls, or during another full school week as determined by the board of directors of a school district, instruction related to the original intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution. The bill requires such instruction to include an examination of the relationship between the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent history of the United States. The bill prohibits such instruction from censoring any religious references in the writings of the founding fathers. The bill requires such instruction to include, in grades 3 through 12, a recitation of a portion of the Declaration of Independence, with limited exceptions for certain specified students.