Bills › 89th General Assembly
Prohibiting certain conduct of teachers related to the pledge of allegiance
Topics:K–12 education
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 13, 2022
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 24, 2022
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: House committee
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2022 session adjourned on May 24, 2022, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Teachers in K-12 public, charter, and certain private schools cannot refuse to stand or say the Pledge of Allegiance if they are trying to influence students politically. They are also prohibited from making unpatriotic comments about the Pledge to their students. If a teacher breaks these rules, schools must notify parents and state officials, and repeated violations can lead to unpaid suspension or losing their job.1
Read the official explanation
This bill prohibits certain conduct of teachers related to the pledge of allegiance. The bill defines “disability” by reference to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The bill defines “school” to include public school districts, charter schools, and accredited nonpublic schools that receive any moneys from the state, or that are served by a school tuition organization.11S. The bill prohibits a teacher, while in a classroom with any students in kindergarten through grade 12, and with the intent to politically influence the students, from failing to recite the pledge of allegiance or stand during the pledge of allegiance, unless the teacher is prevented from doing so by a documented disability. The bill also prohibits a teacher, while in a classroom with any students in kindergarten through grade 12, from speaking about the pledge of allegiance in any manner in which the students may reasonably understand the teacher’s speech to be an unpatriotic commentary on the United States or an attempt to politically influence the students. In the case of a teacher’s first violation of the bill’s provisions, the bill requires the school to provide the teacher with written notice of the violation, provide the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school with written notice of the teacher’s violation, and provide the department of education and the board of educational examiners with notice of the teacher’s violation. In the case of a teacher’s second violation of the bill’s provisions, the bill requires the school to provide the teacher with written notice of the teacher’s violation, suspend the teacher for one week without pay, provide the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school with written notice of the teacher’s violation, and provide the department and the board with notice of the teacher’s violation. The bill provides that, in the case of a teacher’s third violation, the school that employs the teacher shall provide the teacher with written notice of the teacher’s violation, immediately terminate the teacher’s contract with the school, provide the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school with written notice of the teacher’s violation, and provide the department and the board with notice of the teacher’s violation.
Senate subcommittee
Named January 24, 2022. It hasn’t reported yet.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part