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SB1599 - 572R - I Ver
REFERENCE TITLE:
textbooks; adverse representation; prohibition
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SB 1599
Introduced by
Senators
Alston: Bravo, Diaz, Gabald�n, Miranda, Ortiz, Sears, Sundareshan;�
Representatives Connolly, Sandoval
AN
ACT
amending sections 15-721 and 15-722,
Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to school textbooks.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-721, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
15-721.
Common schools; course of study; textbooks; approval; selection;
library books and materials; definition
A. The governing board shall approve for common
schools the course of study, the basic textbook for each course and all units
recommended for credit under each general subject title before implementing the
course.
B. If any course does not include a basic textbook,
the governing board shall approve all supplemental books used in the course
before approving the course.
C. If any course includes a basic textbook and uses
supplemental books, the governing board may approve all supplemental books and
teaching aids, including instructional computer software, that are used in the
course before approving the course.
D. If the course includes a basic textbook and uses
supplemental books that have not been approved by the governing board at the
time of approval of the course, a teacher may use the supplemental books at any
time during the school year. Use of the supplemental books shall be
brought to the attention of the governing board during the school year in which
they are added for ratification.
E. Notwithstanding any other law, subsections B and
C of this section do not apply to supplemental books used in courses or
programs instituted pursuant to article 4 of this chapter.
F. The governing board shall:
1. Enforce the course of study and select all
textbooks used in the common schools and purchase the textbooks from the
publishers. The governing board may budget and spend district school
monies for teaching aids, including instructional computer
software. For courses that do not require that each student have a
textbook other than for classroom instruction, the school district need only
purchase one textbook for each student in the largest group that would be
receiving classroom instruction at any one time.
2. Require that all meetings of committees
authorized for the purposes of textbook review and selection be open to the
public as prescribed in title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1.
3. Make available at the school district office for
review by the public, for a period of sixty days
prior to formal
selection of
before selecting
textbooks, a copy of
each textbook that is being considered for selection.
4. Make available on the school district's website
for review by the public a list of all books and materials purchased after
January 1, 2023 for any of the district's school libraries for a period of at
least sixty days after the purchase. Each school operated by the
school district shall make available on the school's website for review by the
public a list of all books and materials purchased after January 1, 2023 for
the school library for a period of at least sixty days after the purchase.�
This paragraph does not apply to the purchase of a book or material that is
intended to replace a lost or damaged book or material.
5. Ensure that each common school that is operated
by the school district notifies the parents of each pupil enrolled in the
school of the opening and closing dates of the public review required under
paragraph 4 of this subsection within seven school days before the opening
date.
G. The following are exempt from the requirements of
subsection F, paragraphs 4 and 5 of this section:
1. Schools without a full-time library media
specialist or an equivalent position.
2. School district libraries that have agreements
with county free library districts, municipal libraries or other entities
pursuant to section 15-362, subsection D.
H. The governing board may not
approve or select any textbook or other instructional material pursuant to this
section that contains any matter reflecting adversely on persons on the basis
of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, nationality, sexual orientation
or gender identity.
H.
I.
For
the purposes of this section, "textbook" means printed instructional
materials or digital content, or both, and related printed or nonprinted
instructional materials, that are written and published primarily for use in
school instruction and that are required by a state educational agency or a
local education agency for use by pupils in the classroom, including materials
that require the availability of electronic equipment in order to be used as a
learning resource.
END_STATUTE
Sec. 2. Section 15-722, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
15-722.
High schools; course of study; textbooks; approval; library books
and materials; definition
A. The governing board shall approve for high
schools the course of study and all units that are recommended for credit under
each general subject title before implementing the course.
B. The governing board shall approve for high
schools the basic textbook for each course and may purchase the textbooks from
the publishers if approved by the governing board. Before approving
any basic textbook for high schools, the governing board shall do all of the
following:
1. Provide information on the school district's
website, if the school district maintains a website, on the basic textbooks
that are proposed for approval.
2. Require that all meetings of committees
authorized for the purposes of textbook review and selection be open to the
public pursuant to title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1.
3. Provide an opportunity for public comment for at
least sixty days. Public comment may include written comments, oral
comments and comments submitted through email.
4. Make available at the school district office for
review by the public, for a period of at least sixty days before approving the
textbooks, a copy of each textbook that is being considered for approval.
5. Make available on the school district's website
for review by the public a list of all books and materials purchased after
January 1, 2023 for any of the district's school libraries for a period of at
least sixty days after the purchase. Each school operated by the
school district shall make available on the school's website for review by the
public a list of all books and materials purchased after January 1, 2023 for
the school library for a period of at least sixty days after the purchase.�
This paragraph does not apply to the purchase of a book or material that is
intended to replace a lost or damaged book or material.
6. Ensure that each high school that is operated by
the school district notifies the parents of each pupil enrolled in the school
of the opening and closing dates of the public review required under paragraph
5 of this subsection within seven school days before the opening date.
C. The following are exempt from the requirements of
subsection B, paragraphs 5 and 6 of this section:
1. Schools without a full-time library media
specialist or an equivalent position.
2. School district libraries that have agreements
with county free library districts, municipal libraries or other entities
pursuant to section 15-362, subsection D.
D. If any course does not include a basic textbook,
the governing board shall approve all supplemental books that are used in the
course before usage.
E. If any course includes a basic textbook and uses
supplemental books or instructional computer software, the governing board may
approve all supplemental books and instructional computer software that are
used in the course before usage.
F. If the course includes a basic textbook and uses
supplemental books that have not been approved by the governing board at the
time of approval of the course, a teacher may use the supplemental books at any
time during the school year. Use of the supplemental books shall be
brought to the attention of the governing board during the school year in which
they are added for ratification.
G. The governing board shall prescribe up to five
textbooks for each course, and the teacher, with the consent of the governing
board, may use any one of the prescribed textbooks for the purposes of the
teacher's course.
H. The
governing board may not approve or prescribe any textbook or other
instructional material pursuant to this section that contains any matter
reflecting adversely on persons on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, religion,
disability, nationality, sexual orientation or gender identity.
H.
I.
For
the purposes of this section, "textbook" means printed instructional
materials or digital content, or both, and related printed or nonprinted
instructional materials, that are written and published primarily for use in
school instruction and that are required by a state educational agency or a
local education agency for use by pupils in the classroom, including materials
that require the availability of electronic equipment in order to be used as a
learning resource.
END_STATUTE