Teaching Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Virtue and Excellence (T.H.R.I.V.E.) Act; establish.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Blackwell

HOUSE BILL NO. 1311

AN ACT TO BE KNOWN AS THE TEACHING HONESTY, RESPECT, 1
INTEGRITY, VIRTUE AND EXCELLENCE (T.H.R.I.V.E.) ACT; TO REQUIRE 2
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO MANDATE DEVELOPMENTALLY 3
APPROPRIATE SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION COURSES IN 4
ALL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS BEGINNING WITH THE 5
2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO APPROVE A 6
MINISTERIAL, NONDISCRETIONARY LIST OF COMPLIANT COURSES AND 7
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND RESTRICT DISTRICTS TO ADOPTION FROM 8
THAT APPROVED LIST; TO PRESCRIBE THE SPECIFIC SUCCESS SEQUENCE 9
PRINCIPLES AND ENUMERATED CHARACTER TRAITS AND FUNDAMENTAL VALUES 10
TO BE TAUGHT, INCLUDING RESPECT FOR FAMILY, MARRIAGE, WORK, 11
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, LAWFUL AUTHORITY, COMMUNITY SERVICE, 12
PATRIOTISM, AND MORAL CHARACTER; TO REQUIRE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS TO 13
PROVIDE PUBLIC NOTICE OF CURRICULUM ADOPTION, ENSURE TRANSPARENCY 14
THROUGH PUBLIC INSPECTION OF MATERIALS, AND ESTABLISH PARENTAL 15
OPT-OUT RIGHTS WITHOUT PENALTY TO STUDENTS; TO REQUIRE ANNUAL 16
COMPLIANCE REPORTING BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO STATE 17
LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF DISTRICT COMPLIANCE STATUS; TO 18
AUTHORIZE ACCEPTANCE OF FEDERAL OR PRIVATE FUNDS TO ASSIST 19
IMPLEMENTATION; TO REQUIRE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS TO ADOPT POLICIES 20
PERMITTING VOLUNTARY, PARENT-CONSENTED AFTER-SCHOOL INSTRUCTION 21
PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES THAT OFFER PHILOSOPHICAL, 22
HISTORICAL, TRADITIONAL, OR RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE 23
SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION CURRICULUM, SUBJECT TO 24
CONTENT CONSISTENCY AND VIEWPOINT NEUTRALITY PROTECTIONS; TO 25
AUTHORIZE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROMULGATE RULES 26
NECESSARY FOR IMPLEMENTATION; TO PROVIDE FOR CODIFICATION IN 27
CHAPTER 13, TITLE 37, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972; TO ESTABLISH 28
SUPREMACY OVER CONFLICTING STATE LAWS OR POLICIES; TO PROVIDE 29
SEVERABILITY; TO SET AN EFFECTIVE DATE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 30
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 31
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SECTION 1. This act shall be known as the Teaching Honesty, 32
Respect, Integrity, Virtue and Excellence (T.H.R.I.V.E.) Act. 33
SECTION 2. (1) (a) Not later than the beginning of the 34
2026-2027 school year, the State Department of Education shall 35
require developmentally appropriate success sequence and character 36
education courses to be taught in all public elementary and 37
secondary schools of this state. 38
(b) Not later than June 30, 2026, the department shall 39
approve a list of courses and instructional materials that 40
strictly comply with the requirements of this section. The 41
approved course and instructional materials list shall not include 42
any programs, curricula or materials that contradict or undermine 43
respect for the character traits and personal skills required to 44
be taught pursuant to this section. The department's approval of 45
courses and instructional materials pursuant to this section is 46
ministerial only and not discretionary. Districts and schools may 47
only satisfy the requirements of this section by adopting courses 48
from this approved list. 49
(2) Courses taught pursuant to this section shall: 50
(a) Teach the value of finishing high school, working 51
full-time, getting married before having children. 52
(b) Teach only the following character traits and 53
fundamental values deeply rooted in the history and tradition of 54
the United States, particularly the State of Mississippi: 55
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(i) Trustworthiness, including honesty, 56
reliability, punctuality and loyalty; 57
(ii) Responsibility, including hard work, 58
accountability, diligence, good judgment, perseverance and 59
self-control; 60
(iii) Care for family, including parents, siblings 61
and future spouses and children; 62
(iv) Kindness and generosity toward others; 63
(v) Respect and care for human life; 64
(vi) Respect for parental authority; 65
(vii) Respect for parents' obligations to 66
children; 67
(viii) Respect for the property of other people; 68
(ix) Respect for legitimate authority and law; 69
(x) Respect for patriotism, service to the 70
community and concern for the common good; 71
(xi) Respect for religious faith, morality, wisdom 72
and knowledge; 73
(xii) Respect for lifelong marriage, sexual 74
fidelity within marriage and sexual abstinence outside of 75
marriage; 76
(xiii) Gratitude, charity and courage. 77
(3) Each school board shall adopt a process to issue a 78
public notice of the adoption of the success sequence and 79
character education curriculum required under this act, to make 80
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course materials available for public inspection, and to provide 81
parents a means to opt their child out of participation in the 82
courses. Participation in the success sequence and character 83
education courses of instruction required hereunder may be 84
terminated by the student's parent or legal guardian at any time 85
upon written notice to the board. No student whose parent or 86
legal guardian elects to opt out shall be required to participate 87
in the success sequence and character education courses of 88
instruction established under this section. 89
SECTION 3. (1) No later than sixty (60) days following the 90
beginning of each school year beginning with the 2027-2028 school 91
year, and annually thereafter, the State Department of Education 92
shall provide to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the 93
House of Representatives, and chairpersons of the Education 94
Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, a report 95
stating, as of the reporting date: 96
(a) The total number of public school districts; 97
(b) The total number and names of schools and districts 98
that have adopted success sequence and character education courses 99
in compliance with the requirements of this section; 100
(c) The total number and names of districts not in 101
compliance; and 102
(d) Actions taken by the department to bring 103
noncompliant districts into compliance. 104
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The report shall be made available to the public in a clearly 105
accessible manner on the department's website. 106
(2) The department, districts and schools may accept federal 107
or private funds for the purpose of assisting with implementation 108
of success sequence and character education courses in compliance 109
with the requirements of this section. 110
(3) (a) Not later than the beginning of the 2026-2027 111
school year, each local school board shall adopt a policy to make 112
the school premises available for voluntary participation by 113
students, with consent of the student's parent or legal guardian, 114
in after-school instruction programs provided by third parties 115
that instruct pupils in the philosophical, historical, traditional 116
or religious justifications for the success sequence and character 117
education curriculum established under Section 2 of this act. 118
(b) The department shall make a list of approved 119
after-school programs available to districts, schools and parents 120
and shall adopt a process, in cooperation with third-party 121
providers, to obtain the consent of the student and the student's 122
parent or legal guardian for the student's participation. Consent 123
for a student's participation in the program may be revoked at any 124
time by the student, parent or legal guardian upon written notice 125
to the school or board. 126
(4) The purpose of the after-school instruction program is 127
to provide philosophical, historical, traditional or religious 128
justifications for the success sequence and character traits set 129
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forth in Section 2 of this act. No after-school instruction 130
program that is inconsistent with that purpose or subject matter 131
may be approved. Subject to this requirement of purpose and 132
subject-matter consistency, the board may not deny approval to any 133
after-school program based on its viewpoint or on the grounds that 134
it contains expression protected by the First Amendment of the 135
United States Constitution or Article 3, Section 18 of the 136
Mississippi Constitution of 1890. 137
(5) The State Department of Education may adopt rules as 138
necessary to implement this act. 139
SECTION 4. Section 1 through 3 of this act shall be codified 140
in Chapter 13, Title 37, Mississippi Code of 1972. 141
SECTION 5. (1) In the event of a conflict between the 142
requirements of this act and any other state statute, 143
administrative code, regulation, guidance or policy, the 144
requirements of this act shall control. 145
(2) If any one or more provisions, subsections or sections, 146
of this act or the application thereof to any person or 147
circumstance is found to be unconstitutional, the same is hereby 148
declared to be severable and the balance of this act shall remain 149
effective notwithstanding such unconstitutionality. The 150
Legislature hereby declares that it would have passed this act, 151
and each provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase 152
or word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more 153
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ST: Teaching Honesty, Respect, Integrity,
Virtue and Excellence (T.H.R.I.V.E.) Act;
establish.
provisions, sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases or 154
words be declared unconstitutional. 155
SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from 156
and after its passage. 157