H.F. 2470 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 256.20 Logic and critical thinking 1 —— pilot project. 2 1. The department shall develop and administer a voluntary 3 pilot program that authorizes the board of directors of a 4 school district and the governing boards of charter schools to 5 offer instruction in logic and critical thinking for students 6 in grades six through eight. 7 2. The voluntary pilot program shall be available for 8 the school year beginning July 1, 2027, and the school year 9 beginning July 1, 2028. 10 3. Instruction in logic and critical thinking may be offered 11 in any of the following forms, at the discretion of the school 12 district or charter school: 13 a. A stand-alone course. 14 b. An elective course. 15 c. An interdisciplinary course embedded within existing 16 curricular offerings. 17 4. During the pilot program, a participating school 18 district or charter school may offer instruction in logic and 19 critical thinking but shall not be required to mandate student 20 completion of the instruction unless otherwise determined by 21 the school district or charter school. 22 5. Instruction provided pursuant to the pilot program shall 23 be skills-based and viewpoint-neutral and shall not promote 24 or advocate for specific political, ideological, or social 25 positions. The curriculum shall include all of the following: 26 a. Basic principles of logic, including deductive and 27 inductive reasoning, syllogisms, and argument structures. 28 b. Identification and analysis of common logical fallacies, 29 including ad hominem arguments, false dichotomies, circular 30 reasoning, and slippery slope arguments. 31 c. Rhetorical principles, including ethos, pathos, and 32 logos, and their role in persuasive communication. 33 d. Debate and discussion skills, including formulation 34 of logical arguments, engagement with counterarguments, and 35 -1- LSB 6741YH (3) 91 mb/jh 1/ 4

H.F. 2470 respectful civil discourse. 1 e. Basic problem-solving and decision-making strategies. 2 f. Distinguishing facts, opinions, and inferences. 3 g. Evaluation of claims based on evidence and reasoning. 4 h. The history and use of propaganda and persuasive 5 techniques in historical and contemporary contexts. 6 6. Annually, on or before June 1 of each year during which 7 a school district or charter school participates in the pilot 8 program, the participating school district or charter school 9 shall submit a report to the department that contains all of 10 the following: 11 a. A description of how instruction in logic and critical 12 thinking was implemented. 13 b. Feedback regarding curriculum design and instructional 14 models. 15 c. Information regarding student engagement. 16 d. Challenges associated with implementing instruction in 17 logic and critical thinking. 18 e. Recommendations related to continuation or expansion of 19 instruction in logic and critical thinking. 20 f. Any other information requested by the department that 21 will allow the department to monitor and assess the pilot 22 program. 23 7. On or before December 1, 2029, the department shall 24 compile the reports submitted pursuant to subsection 6 and 25 submit a report to the general assembly, the house standing 26 committee on education, and the senate standing committee on 27 education containing an evaluation of the effectiveness of the 28 program and any recommendations for continuation or expansion. 29 8. As used in this section, “logic and critical thinking” 30 means the study and application of reasoning processes, 31 including deductive and inductive reasoning, argument analysis, 32 identification of fallacies, and structured decision making. 33 9. This section is repealed July 1, 2031. 34 EXPLANATION 35 -2- LSB 6741YH (3) 91 mb/jh 2/ 4

H.F. 2470 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 1 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 This bill requires the department of education (DE) to 3 develop and administer a pilot program that authorizes school 4 districts and charter schools to offer instruction in logic and 5 critical thinking to students in grades six through eight. The 6 pilot program is available for the school years beginning July 7 1, 2027, and July 1, 2028. 8 Under the bill, a participating school district or 9 charter school may offer instruction in logic and critical 10 thinking as a stand-alone course, an elective course, or an 11 interdisciplinary course embedded within existing curricular 12 offerings. Participation in the pilot program is voluntary, 13 and a participating school district or charter school is not 14 required to mandate student completion of the instruction 15 unless otherwise determined by the school district or charter 16 school. 17 The bill requires that instruction provided pursuant to 18 the pilot program be skills-based and viewpoint-neutral and 19 prohibits the promotion or advocacy of specific political, 20 ideological, or social positions. The bill provides that the 21 curriculum must include instruction in basic principles of 22 logic, identification and analysis of common logical fallacies, 23 rhetorical principles, debate and discussion skills, basic 24 problem-solving and decision-making strategies, distinguishing 25 facts, opinions, and inferences, evaluation of claims based on 26 evidence and reasoning, and the history and use of propaganda 27 and persuasive techniques. 28 The bill requires a participating school district or 29 charter school, annually, on or before June 1 of each year 30 during which a school district or charter school participates 31 in the pilot program, to submit a report to DE containing 32 information related to the implementation of instruction in 33 logic and critical thinking, including feedback regarding 34 curriculum design, instructional models, student engagement, 35 -3- LSB 6741YH (3) 91 mb/jh 3/ 4

H.F. 2470 challenges associated with implementation, and recommendations 1 for continuation or expansion of the program. The report must 2 also include any other information requested by DE to allow the 3 department to monitor and assess the pilot program. 4 The bill further requires DE, on or before December 1, 5 2029, to compile the reports submitted by participating school 6 districts and charter schools and submit a report to the 7 general assembly, the house standing committee on education, 8 and the senate standing committee on education containing an 9 evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot program and any 10 recommendations for continuation or expansion. 11 The bill defines “logic and critical thinking” as the study 12 and application of reasoning processes, including deductive 13 and inductive reasoning, argument analysis, identification of 14 fallacies, and structured decision making. 15 The bill repeals the Code section establishing the pilot 16 program, Code section 256.20, July 1, 2031. 17 -4- LSB 6741YH (3) 91 mb/jh 4/ 4