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S. B. No. 2302 *SS36/R1056* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Williams
SENATE BILL NO. 2302
AN ACT TO ENACT THE TEACHING HONESTY, RESPECT, INTEGRITY, 1
VIRTUE, AND EXCELLENCE (THRIVE) ACT; TO DIRECT THAT THE STATE 2
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL REQUIRE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE 3
SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION COURSES TO BE TAUGHT IN 4
ALL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF THIS STATE; TO 5
DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT, NOT LATER THAN JUNE 30, 2026, TO APPROVE A 6
LIST OF COMPLIANT COURSES AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS; TO PROVIDE 7
A LIST OF VALUES AND CHARACTER TRAITS THE COURSES ARE TO TEACH; TO 8
DIRECT EACH SCHOOL BOARD TO ADOPT A PROCESS TO ISSUE A PUBLIC 9
NOTICE OF THE ADOPTION OF THE SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER 10
EDUCATION COURSES, TO MAKE COURSE MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC 11
INSPECTION, AND TO PROVIDE PARENTS A MEANS TO OPT THEIR CHILDREN 12
OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE COURSES; TO REQUIRE ANNUAL REPORTING 13
BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO THE LEGISLATURE; TO 14
REQUIRE EACH SCHOOL BOARD TO ADOPT A POLICY TO MAKE THE SCHOOL 15
PREMISES AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION BY STUDENTS, WITH 16
THE CONSENT OF THE STUDENT'S PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN, IN 17
AFTER-SCHOOL INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES THAT 18
INSTRUCT PUPILS IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL, HISTORICAL, TRADITIONAL, OR 19
RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER 20
EDUCATION COURSES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 21
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 22
SECTION 1. (1) This section shall be known as the Teaching 23
Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Virtue, and Excellence (THRIVE) Act. 24
(2) Not later than the beginning of the 2026-2027 school 25
year, the State Department of Education shall require 26
developmentally appropriate success sequence and character 27
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education courses to be taught in all public elementary and 28
secondary schools of this state. Not later than June 30, 2026, 29
the department shall approve a list of courses and instructional 30
materials that strictly comply with this section. The department 31
shall not include any programs, curricula or materials in the 32
approved list that contradict or undermine respect for the 33
character traits and personal skills required to be taught under 34
this section. The department's approval of courses and 35
instructional materials under this section is ministerial only and 36
not discretionary. Districts and schools may satisfy the 37
requirements of this section only by adopting courses from this 38
approved list. 39
(3) Courses taught under this section shall do all of the 40
following: 41
(a) Teach the value of finishing high school, working 42
full-time, and getting married before having children; and 43
(b) Teach only the following character traits and 44
fundamental values deeply rooted in the history and tradition of 45
the United States, particularly the State of Mississippi: 46
(i) Trustworthiness, including honesty, 47
reliability, punctuality, and loyalty; 48
(ii) Responsibility, including hard work, 49
accountability, diligence, good judgment, perseverance, and 50
self-control; 51
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(iii) Care for family, including parents, 52
siblings, and future spouses and children; 53
(iv) Kindness and generosity toward others; 54
(v) Respect and care for human life; 55
(vi) Respect for parental authority; 56
(vii) Respect for parents' obligations to 57
children; 58
(viii) Respect for the property of other people; 59
(ix) Respect for legitimate authority and law; 60
(x) Respect for patriotism, service to the 61
community, and concern for the common good; 62
(xi) Respect for religious faith, morality, 63
wisdom, and knowledge; 64
(xii) Respect for lifelong marriage, sexual 65
fidelity within marriage, and sexual abstinence outside of 66
marriage; 67
(xiii) Gratitude; 68
(xiv) Charity; and 69
(xv) Courage. 70
(4) Each school board shall adopt a process to issue a 71
public notice of the adoption of the success sequence and 72
character education courses required in this section, to make 73
course materials available for public inspection, and to provide 74
parents a means to opt their children out of participation in the 75
courses. Participation in the success sequence and character 76
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education courses may be terminated by the student's parent or 77
legal guardian at any time upon written notice to the school 78
board. No student whose parent or legal guardian elects to opt 79
out shall be required to participate in the success sequence and 80
character education courses. 81
(5) The State Department of Education shall provide 82
annually, no later than sixty (60) days after the beginning of 83
each school year beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, to the 84
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House of 85
Representatives, and Chairs of the Senate and House Education 86
Committees, a report stating, as of the reporting date, the total 87
number of public school districts, the total number and names of 88
schools and districts that have adopted success sequence and 89
character education courses in compliance with this section, the 90
total number and names of districts not in compliance, and actions 91
taken by the department to bring noncompliant districts into 92
compliance. The report shall be made available to the public in a 93
clearly accessible manner on the department's website. 94
(6) The department, districts, and schools may accept 95
federal or private funds for the purpose of assisting with 96
implementation of success sequence and character education courses 97
in compliance with this section. 98
(7) (a) Not later than the beginning of the 2026-2027 99
school year, each district's school board shall adopt a policy to 100
make the school premises available for voluntary participation by 101
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students, with the consent of the student's parent or legal 102
guardian, in after-school instructional programs provided by third 103
parties that instruct pupils in the philosophical, historical, 104
traditional, or religious justifications for the success sequence 105
and character education courses. The State Department of 106
Education shall make a list of approved after-school programs 107
available to districts, schools, and parents and shall adopt a 108
process, in cooperation with the third-party providers, to obtain 109
the consent of the student and the student's parent or legal 110
guardian for the student's participation. Consent for a student's 111
participation in the program may be revoked at any time by the 112
student, parent, or legal guardian upon written notice to the 113
school or school board. 114
(b) The purpose of the after-school instruction program 115
is to provide philosophical, historical, traditional, or religious 116
justifications for the success sequence and character traits set 117
forth in this section. No after-school instructional program that 118
is inconsistent with that purpose or subject matter may be 119
approved. Subject to this requirement of purpose and 120
subject-matter consistency, the school board may not deny approval 121
to any after-school program based on its viewpoint or on the 122
grounds that it contains expression protected by the First 123
Amendment of the United States Constitution or Article 3, Section 124
18, of the Mississippi Constitution. 125
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ST: Teaching Honesty, Respect, Integrity,
Virtue, and Excellence (THRIVE) Act; enact.
(8) The State Department of Education may adopt rules as 126
necessary to implement this act. 127
(9) In the event of a conflict between this section and any 128
other state statute, administrative code, regulation, guidance, or 129
policy, this section shall control. 130
SECTION 2. If any one or more provisions, sections, 131
subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words of this act or 132
the application thereof to any person or circumstance is found to 133
be unconstitutional, the same is hereby declared to be severable, 134
and the balance of this act shall remain effective notwithstanding 135
such unconstitutionality. The Legislature hereby declares that it 136
would have passed this act, and each provision, section, 137
subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word thereof, 138
irrespective of whether any one or more provisions, sections, 139
subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words be declared 140
unconstitutional. 141
SECTION 3. Section 1 of this act shall be codified in 142
Chapter 13, Title 37, Mississippi Code of 1972. 143
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 144
and after its passage. 145