Introduced

ACCOUNTABILITY PORTAL (Section 37.850)

The act provides that the Missouri Accountability Portal shall include publicly accessible information regarding all forms of compensation and benefits paid to or on behalf of employees of public schools, political subdivisions, and public institutions of higher education. The portal shall also include information regarding any bonds issued by public school districts. Public school districts and charter schools shall supply all required information to the Office of Administration within the number of days and in a manner to be determined by the Office of Administration. This provision is identical to provisions in HCS/HB 482 (2023), HCS/SS/SCS/SBs 681 & 662 (2022), and HCS/HB 1753 (2022), and is similar to a provision in HB 2359 (2022).

CURRICULUM (Section 160.516)

This act provides that each local school board and charter school governing board shall be required to approve and adopt the curriculum at least two months prior to implementation. Each school board and governing board shall adopt policies to ensure that the approved and adopted curricula are properly implemented in the classroom.

At least five years of data relating to students' state assessment scores shall be posted in the same section as the curricula on the district's or charter school's website. The assessment data shall also be posted on the newly created Missouri Education Transparency and Accountability Portal.

PARENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS ACT OF 2023 (Section 161.841)

This act creates the "Parents' Bill of Rights Act of 2023", which shall be construed to empower parents to enforce rights, as delineated in the act, to access records maintained by schools in which their children are enrolled. The act defines a "school" as a public school district or public school, including charter schools.

No school shall require nondisclosure agreements for a parent's review of curricula, and each school shall provide a parent with an electronic or paper copy of the curriculum documents upon request. No school shall collect any biometric data of a minor child without obtaining parental consent. Finally, each school shall notify parents of all reported incidents directly pertaining to their student's safety that result in any criminal charge against a teacher or school employee. This provision is similar to provisions in HCS/HB 482 (2023), HCS/SS#2/SB 761 (2022), SS/SCS/SB 741 (2022), HB 2195 (2022), HB 1858 (2022), and HB 1474 (2022).

MISSOURI EDUCATION TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY PORTAL (Section 161.852)

The Commissioner of Education shall establish the Missouri Education Transparency and Accountability Portal to provide citizens with access to every school district's curriculum, textbooks, and syllabi, as provided in the act. The act defines a "school" as a public school, school district, charter school, or virtual school authorized under the provisions of the Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program.

The portal shall include the cost associated with speakers and guests used by a school in its professional development activities. All administrator, teacher, and staff professional development and instructional programs offered to public schools shall be fully transparent and available to parents of students enrolled at such schools. For programs offered to public schools by third-party contractors, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall maintain data on such programs as described in the act. This provision is similar to provisions in SB 89 (2023), SB 158 (2023), HB 482 (2023), SB 645 (2022), SB 810 (2022), HCS/HB 1858 (2022), HCS/HBs 1995 & 1474 (2022), and HCS/HB 2189 (2022).

DISCUSSION OF CERTAIN CONCEPTS AND BELIEFS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Section 170.355)

The act provides that no public school or public school employee, as the term "school" is defined in the act, shall compel teachers to teach, or compel a student or teacher to personally adopt or profess, a position or viewpoint that a reasonable person would conclude violates certain public policies described in the act. Such viewpoints include, but are not limited to, the notion that individuals of any race, ethnicity, color, or national origin are inherently superior or inferior to others, or that individuals, by virtue of their race, ethnicity, color, or national origin, bear collective guilt and are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by others. No school district or public school may require a student or employee to attend or participate in a training, instruction, or therapy that a reasonable person would believe violates this provision.

No school shall offer a course on critical race theory in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The provisions of the act shall not be construed to prohibit constitutionally-protected speech, access to research or study materials, or the discussion or assignment of materials for educational purposes.

Any employee of a school district that discloses a violation of this provision shall be protected from any manner of retaliation as provided by current law.

If a parent learns that a teacher is in violation of this provision and is acting independently, the parent may file a complaint with the Department, which shall send the complaint to the State Board of Education. The Board shall hold a contested case hearing between the parent and the school district within 30 days of receiving such complaint, and upon a determination by the Board that a violation is occurring, the parent shall have an amount as stated in the act deposited into Missouri savings program (MOST) accounts for children of the parent who instituted the complaint.

If a parent learns that a teacher is in violation of the act, and such violation is occurring throughout the school district, the parent may file a complaint with the Department, which shall send the complaint to the State Board of Education. The Board shall hold a contested case hearing between the parent and the school district within 30 days of receiving such complaint. Upon a determination by the Board that a violation is occurring, a penalty as stated in the act shall apply.

This provision is similar to provisions in SB 158 (2023), HCS/HB 482 (2023), HCS/SS#2/SB 761 (2022), HCS/HB 1858 (2022), HCS/HB 1995 & 1474 (2022), and HCS/HB 2428 (2022).

PATRIOTIC AND CIVICS TRAINING PROGRAM (Section 170.370)

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall develop a patriotic and civics training program to prepare teachers to teach the principles of American civics and patriotism. Subject to appropriation, each teacher who completes the training shall receive a one-time bonus of three thousand dollars to be paid by the Department. This provision is similar to SB 137 (2023), SB 1175 (2022) and HB 2902 (2022).

OLIVIA SHANNON