INTRODUCTION
The activist establishment uses its control over education schools and teacher licensure regulations both to propagandize K-12 teachers and to render that propaganda more effective by encouraging them to teach while ignorant of the Western heritage and the American heritage. The education schools and the teacher licensure regulations both require thoroughgoing reform. At a minimum, however, they should be changed so as to ensure that English and Social Studies K-12 teachers possess extensive content knowledge of the Western heritage and the American heritage. Reforms which reduce the amount of time teachers must spend in education schools will have an even better effect.
Our model bill requires each institution of higher education that receives state funding to develop a 6-course Western Heritage Certificate Program (Section A) and a 6-course American Heritage Certificate Program (Section B). It then requires students who receive a Bachelor’s degree in Education to possess either a Western Heritage Certificate or an American Heritage Certificate, requires teachers in publicly funded K-12 schools who teach English or Social Studies to receive a Western Heritage Certificate or an American Heritage Certificate as a condition of licensure, and requires teachers in publicly funded K-12 schools who teach Civics or American Government to receive an American Heritage Certificate as a condition of licensure. Our model bill also allows teachers in K-12 schools that receive state funding who teach English or Social Studies, and who possess both a Western Heritage Certificate and an American Heritage Certificate, to avoid taking any undergraduate or graduate Education courses as a condition of licensure (Section C).
Section A and Section B specify that the School of Intellectual Freedom shall determine annually which courses will be included in the Western Heritage Certificate Program and the American Heritage Certificate Program. This stipulation is meant to ensure that only courses taught properly are included in these two certificate programs. This model bill therefore will function most effectively if passed in tandem with the School of Intellectual Freedom Act.
MODEL LEGISLATIVE TEXT
Section A [“Western Heritage Certificate Program”]
The {Board of Regents} of the {State} public university system, and each institution of higher education that receives state funding, shall develop and adopt a Western Heritage Certificate Program:
- Each institution of higher education that receives state funding shall establish a Certificate Program in Western Heritage. Students who take 18 semester credit hours of courses included in the Western Heritage Certificate Program, including at least three introductory survey courses in different departments, such as Western Civilization, British Literature, or Greek Philosophy, shall receive a Western Heritage Certificate.
- Western Heritage Certificate Program courses may not include:
A. courses that include experiential learning;
B. courses exclusively or primarily devoted to subgroups of Americans or other nationalities, categorized by race, sex, class, gender identity, or gender expression;
C. courses that require students as a condition of passing any class to engage in activism; or
D. courses that require students as a condition of passing any class to affirm or assent to discriminatory concepts.
- {The School of Intellectual Freedom} shall determine annually which courses will be included in the Western Heritage Certificate Program.
Section B [“American Heritage Certificate Program”]
The {Board of Regents} of the {State} public university system, and each institution of higher education that receives state funding, shall develop and adopt an American Heritage Certificate Program:
- Each institution of higher education that receives state funding shall establish a Certificate Program in American Heritage. Students who take 18 semester credit hours of courses included in the American Heritage Certificate Program, including at least three introductory survey courses in different departments, such as U. S. History, {State} History, American Government, or American Literature, shall receive a Western Heritage Certificate.
- American Heritage Certificate Program courses may not include:
A. courses that include experiential learning;
B. courses exclusively or primarily devoted to subgroups of Americans or other nationalities, categorized by race, sex, class, gender identity, or gender expression;
C. courses that require students as a condition of passing any class to engage in activism; or
D. courses that require students as a condition of passing any class to affirm or assent to discriminatory concepts.
- {The School of Intellectual Freedom} shall determine annually which courses will be included in the American Heritage Certificate Program.
Section C [“Teacher Licensure”]
- Each institution of higher education that receives state funding shall require students to receive a Western Heritage Certificate or an American Heritage Certificate as a condition of graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Education.
- Teachers in K-12 schools that receive state funding who teach English or Social Studies must receive a Western Heritage Certificate or an American Heritage Certificate as a condition of licensure.
- Teachers in K-12 schools that receive state funding who teach Civics or American Government must receive an American Heritage Certificate as a condition of licensure.
- Teachers in K-12 schools that receive state funding who teach English or Social Studies, and who possess both a Western Heritage Certificate and an American Heritage Certificate, shall not be required to take any undergraduate or graduate Education courses as a condition of licensure.
Section D [“Definitions”]
As used in this Act:
- “Discriminatory concepts” means the concepts that: (a) one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; (b) an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously; (c) an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of the individual’s race; (d) members of one race cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race; (e) an individual’s moral standing or worth is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex; (f) an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex; (g) any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex; (h) meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a members of a particular race to oppress members of another race; (i) that the advent of slavery in the territory that is now the United States constituted the true founding of the United States; or (j) that, with respect to their relationship to American values, slavery and racism are anything other than deviations from, betrayals of, or failures to live up to, the authentic founding principles of the United States, which include liberty and equality.
- “Activism” means activity outside the classroom aimed at achieving a political or a social goal.
Section E [“Severability”]
If any provision of this chapter, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this chapter and the application of its provisions to any other person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby.
EXISTING STATE REGULATIONS
South Dakota: American Civic Traditions
The National Association of Scholars, in consultation with other supporters and friends of the Civics Alliance, drafted these model bills to translate into legislative language the principles in the Civics Alliance’s Civics Curriculum Statement & Open Letter. Just as these bills have been drafted with the expectation that different states will modify them as they see fit, they also have been drafted with the expectation that not every supporter of the Civics Alliance will endorse these bills or every part of them. Individual Civics Alliance signatories and supporters should not be assumed to have endorsed these bills, unless they say so explicitly.