Civics; require State Board of Education to develop curriculum for public middle and high school students.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Brown

HOUSE BILL NO. 1089

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP A 1
CIVICS CURRICULUM TO BE TAUGHT IN THE PUBLIC MIDDLE AND HIGH 2
SCHOOLS; TO PRESCRIBE THE MINIMUM COMPONENTS OF THE CURRICULUM; 3
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5
SECTION 1. The State Board of Education shall develop a 6
civics curriculum to be incorporated into the existing curriculum 7
mandated for all public middle and high schools. The civics 8
curriculum must be designed to provide students with the knowledge 9
and social skills that are critical to the responsibilities of 10
citizenship in the constitutional democracy of the United States. 11
The board shall require each school district to implement the 12
civics curriculum in the 2027-2028 school year. At a minimum the 13
curriculum shall focus on the knowledge, understanding and skills 14
necessary for living as an individual citizen within the sovereign 15
democracy of the United States, social awareness and personal life 16
management skills. The objectives must require the teaching of 17
those skills essential to the National Standards for Civics and 18
Government and must include instruction in the following: 19
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(a) Civic knowledge which embodies the form of five (5) 20
significant and enduring inquiries that engage the thoughts of 21
every citizen, including: 22
(i) Civic life, politics and government; 23
(ii) The foundations of the American political 24
system; 25
(iii) Government as established by the 26
Constitution and purposes, values and principles of American 27
democracy it embodies; 28
(iv) The relationship of the United States to 29
other nations and to world affairs; and 30
(v) The roles of citizens in American democracy; 31
(b) Intellectual and participatory civic skills of 32
citizenship to freely exercise one's rights and discharge of 33
responsibilities as members of self-governing communities, in 34
addition to the ability to think critically about a political 35
issue, its history, its contemporary relevance, as well as command 36
of a set of intellectual tools or considerations useful in dealing 37
with such an issue; and 38
(c) Civic dispositions, which are traits of private 39
and public character essential to the maintenance and improvement 40
of constitutional democracy, which include: 41
(i) Becoming an independent member of society, 42
adhering voluntarily to self-imposed standards of behavior rather 43
than requiring the imposition of external controls, accepting 44
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responsibility for the consequences of one's actions and 45
fulfilling the moral and legal obligations of membership in a 46
democratic society; 47
(ii) Assuming the personal, political, and 48
economic responsibilities of a citizen, including: 49
1. Taking care of one's self, supporting 50
one's family by caring for, nurturing and educating one's 51
children; 52
2. Being informed about public issues; 53
3. Voting; 54
4. Paying taxes; 55
5. Serving on juries; 56
6. Performing public service; and 57
7. Serving in leadership positions 58
commensurate with one's talents; 59
(iii) Respecting individual worth and human 60
dignity by acknowledging the opinions of others, behaving in a 61
civil manner, considering the rights and interests of fellow 62
citizens, and adhering to the principle of majority rule but 63
recognizing the right of the minority to dissent; 64
(iv) Participating in civic affairs in a 65
thoughtful and effective manner including: 66
1. Becoming informed prior to voting or 67
participating in public debate; 68
H. B. No. 1089 *HR26/R1140* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: Civics; require State Board of Education to
develop curriculum for public middle and high
school students.
2. Engaging in civil and reflective 69
discourse; 70
3. Assuming leadership when appropriate; 71
4. Evaluating whether and when one's 72
obligations as a citizen require that personal desires and 73
interests be subordinated to the public good; and 74
5. Evaluating whether and when one's 75
obligations or constitutional principles obligate one to reject 76
certain civic expectations; and 77
(v) Promoting the healthy functioning of 78
constitutional democracy, which entails: 79
1. Being informed and attentive to public 80
affairs; 81
2. Learning about and deliberating on 82
constitutional values and principles; 83
3. Monitoring the adherence of political 84
leaders and public agencies to those values and principles; and 85
4. Taking appropriate action if adherence is 86
lacking. 87
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 88
and after July 1, 2026. 89