public schools; civics instruction requirement

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation accurately reflects the content of the official bill summary and text, without adding unsupported claims or speculation.

Celebrate Freedom Week and Civics Education in Public Schools

This bill requires public schools to teach civics during Celebrate Freedom Week, including lessons on founding documents and American history topics.

What This Bill Does

• Requires each public school to observe Celebrate Freedom Week and include specific civics instruction in social studies courses.
• Includes lessons on the original intent, meaning, and importance of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution for grades 1 through 12.
• Incorporates topics like American diversity as a nation of immigrants, the American Revolution, creation of the Constitution, and the abolitionist movement into history lessons.
• Requires students in grades 3 to 12 to recite a passage from the Declaration of Independence during Celebrate Freedom Week.
• Allows exemptions for student participation based on parental request or conscientious objection.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public schools and their students across Arizona.

Terms To Know

Celebrate Freedom Week

A designated week during which public schools must include specific civics instruction in social studies courses, typically including September 17 or as chosen by the school's governing body.

Conscientious objection

An exemption from participating in an activity based on personal beliefs or moral principles.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify a fiscal impact to the state General Fund.
• It is unclear how schools will implement these requirements beyond what is outlined in the legislation.
• There are no details provided about potential consequences for non-compliance with the new requirements.

Official Summary Text

SB1572 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1572

public schools; civics
instruction requirement

Purpose

Requires each
public school to observe Celebrate Freedom Week and include outlined civics
instruction in each social studies course during Celebrate Freedom Week.
Outlines administrative requirements for the State Board of Education (SBE)
relating to Celebrate Freedom Week and exemptions to the Celebrate Freedom Week
instruction requirements. Designates this legislation as the
Return to
Civics Instruction Act
.

Background

The SBE must work with the Arizona State University School of Civic and Economic
Thought and Leadership, the University of Arizona Center for the Philosophy of Freedom
and the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy to develop civic
education standards that school districts and charter schools must include in
curricula and criteria for high school graduation. The civic education
standards must include instruction on: 1) the original intent of the founding
documents and principles of the United States as found in source documents; and
2) the civic-minded expectations of an upright and desirable citizenry that
recognizes and accepts responsibility for preserving and defending the
blessings of liberty inherited from prior generations and secured by the U.S. Constitution.
Additionally, the SBE must maintain a list of oral history resources that
provide portraits in patriotism based on first-person accounts of victims of
other nations' governing philosophies who can compare those philosophies with
those of the United States (
A.R.S.
� 15-718
).

Statute requires September 25 of each year to be observed as Sandra Day
O'Connor Civics Celebration Day, a non-legal holiday. On Sandra Day O'Connor Civics
Celebration Day, each public school must dedicate the majority of the school
day to civics education (A.R.S. ��
1-319

and
15-710.01
).
The Arizona Department of Education provides a list of instructional resources
relating to the civic education that aligns with the SBE-prescribed academic
standards for social studies, including resources for Sandra Day O'Connor
Civics Celebration Day and Constitution Day (
ADE
).

There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund
associated with this legislation.

Provisions

1.

Requires
each public school to observe Celebrate Freedom Week and include the following
in each social studies course during Celebrate Freedom Week:

a)

for grades 1 through
12, instruction on the
original intent, meaning, importance and historical context of the U.S.
Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of
Rights
;��

b)

for grades 1 through 12,
instruction on the
relationship between the ideas that are expressed in the U.S. Declaration of
Independence and the following topics in U.S. history:

i.

the rich diversity of the people of this country as a nation of
immigrants;

ii.

the
American Revolution;

iii.

the creation of
the U.S. Constitution; and

iv.

the abolitionist
movement, including the relationship between the abolitionist movement and the
U.S. Emancipation Proclamation and the women's suffrage movement; and

c)

for
grades 3 through 12, a recitation by students of a passage of the U.S.
Declaration of Independence.

2.

Exempts
a student from the requirement to participate in the U.S. Declaration of
Independence recitation if:

a)

the student's parent requests in writing that the student be excused;

b)

the school determines that the student has a conscientious objection to
the recitation; or

c)

the
student's parent is a representative of a foreign government to whom the U.S.
government extends diplomatic immunity.

3.

Requires the SBE to ensure public schools do not censor the U.S.
Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights to
exclude religious references.

4.

Allows the SBE to adopt rules and policies to implement the Celebrate
Freedom Week requirements.

5.

Defines

Celebrate Freedom Week
as:

a)

the instructional week that includes September 17; or

b)

an
instructional week designated by the governing body of the public school
.

6.

Designates this legislation as the
Return to Civics Instruction Act.

7.

Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by Senate Research

February 6, 2026

MH/SM/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1572 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

public schools;
civics instruction requirement

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1572

AN
ACT

amending title 15, chapter 7, article 1, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-710.03; relating to school
curricula.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 15, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-710.03, to read:

START_STATUTE
15-710.03.

Celebrate freedom week; instruction requirements; policies and
rules; definition

A. Each public school shall observe
celebrate freedom week, during which the public school shall include all of the
following in each social studies course:

1. For each of grades one through
twelve, instruction on the original intent, meaning and importance of the
following founding documents and the historical context of each document:

(
a
) The
declaration of independence.

(
b
) The United
States constitution, including the bill of rights.

2. For each of grades one through
twelve, instruction on the relationship between the ideas that are expressed in
the declaration of independence and each of the following topics in the history
of the United States:

(
a
) The rich
diversity of the people of this country as a nation of immigrants.

(
b
) The
American revolution.

(
c
) The
creation of the United States constitution.

(
d
) The
abolitionist movement, including the relationship between the abolitionist
movement and the emancipation proclamation and the women's suffrage movement.

3. For each of grades three through
twelve, a recitation by students of the passage of the declaration of
independence that is described in section 15-203, subsection A, paragraph
26.� A student IS not required to participate in the recitation required by
this paragraph if any of the following applies:

(
a
) The
student's parent requests in writing that the student be excused.

(
b
) The school
determines that the student has a conscientious objection to the recitation.

(
c
) The
student's PARENT IS A REPRESENTATIVE OF A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT TO WHOM THE UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT EXTENDS DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY.

B. The state board of education:

1. May adopt rules and policies to
implement this section.�

2. Shall ensure that public schools
do not censor the founding documents described in subsection A, paragraph 1 of
this section to exclude religious references.

C. For
the purposes of this section, "celebrate freedom week" means either:

1. The
instructional week that includes September 17.

2. An
instructional week designated by the governing body of the public school.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.
Short title

Section 15-710.03, Arizona
Revised Statutes, as added by this act, may be cited as the "Return to
Civics Instruction Act".