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HB 5 — Civic Education Curriculum
by Rep. Zika and others
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Education Committee (ED)
The bill requires the Florida Department of Education (DOE) to develop or approve an integrated civic education curriculum for public school students in kindergarten through grade 12. The civic education curriculum must aid in students’ development of civic responsibility and knowledge.
The bill also establishes the “Portraits in Patriotism Act,” by requiring the DOE to curate oral history resources which integrates into the civics education curriculum personal stories of diverse individuals who demonstrate civic-minded qualities, including first-person accounts of victims of other nations’ governing philosophies who can compare those philosophies with the philosophies of the United States.
The bill specifies that the United States Government course that is required to earn a standard high school diploma must include a comparative discussion of political ideologies that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy in the nation’s founding principles.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2021.
Vote: Senate 40-0; House 115-0