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SB2512 • 2026

Public school districts; require implementation of a success sequence and character education curriculum in.

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INTEGRATE SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION INTO THE REQUIRED CURRICULUM FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 12 OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND TO DEVELOP A SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOR USE BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO REQUIRE SCHOOL BOARDS TO IMPLEMENT, NOT LATER THAN THE START OF THE 2028-2029 SCHOOL YEAR, EITHER THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPED BY THE DEPARTMENT OR A CURRICULUM DEVELOPED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD AND APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT; TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED CONTENT FOR SUCH A CURRICULUM; TO REQUIRE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO CONSULT WITH PARENTS, EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CURRICULUM; TO SPECIFY THAT PROSELYTIZING OR INDOCTRINATING CONCERNING ANY SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL BELIEF IS NOT AUTHORIZED FOR THE CURRICULA; TO EXEMPT OPTIONAL AFTER-SCHOOL INSTRUCTION PROGRAMS LED BY THIRD PARTIES FROM SUCH PROHIBITION; TO REQUIRE DATA COMPILATION AND ANNUAL REPORTING BY THE DEPARTMENT; TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT TO ACCEPT MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SOURCES TO USE IN ASSISTING SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN IMPLEMENTING THE CURRICULA; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Children Education
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Tate
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
Dead
Effective date
Passage

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass in the session it was introduced, leaving its future uncertain.

Public School Curriculum for Success Sequence and Character Education

This bill requires Mississippi public schools to include a curriculum focusing on success sequence and character education, starting in the 2028-2029 school year.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the State Department of Education to develop a curriculum for grades K-12 that includes success sequence and character education by January 1, 2027.
  • School boards must implement this curriculum or an approved alternative by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.
  • The curriculum covers values such as finishing high school, working full-time, marrying before having children, and specific character traits like trustworthiness, responsibility, kindness, respect for authority, and patriotism.
  • School districts must consult with parents, educators, and community members when developing or selecting the curriculum.
  • Requires annual reporting on the impact of these curricula.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Mississippi public school students from kindergarten to grade 12
  • School boards and district administrators in Mississippi

Terms To Know

Success sequence
A set of life goals such as finishing high school, working full-time, and marrying before having children.
Character education
Teaching students about moral values and ethical behavior.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass in the session it was introduced.
  • It does not specify how schools will be funded to implement these changes.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/03 (S) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (S) Referred To Education

Official Summary Text

Public school districts; require implementation of a success sequence and character education curriculum in.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
S. B. No. 2512 *SS08/R768* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/SS08/R768
PAGE 1 (icj\kr)

To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Tate

SENATE BILL NO. 2512

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO 1
INTEGRATE SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER EDUCATION INTO THE 2
REQUIRED CURRICULUM FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 12 OF THE 3
PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND TO DEVELOP A SUCCESS SEQUENCE AND CHARACTER 4
EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOR USE BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO REQUIRE 5
SCHOOL BOARDS TO IMPLEMENT, NOT LATER THAN THE START OF THE 6
2028-2029 SCHOOL YEAR, EITHER THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPED BY THE 7
DEPARTMENT OR A CURRICULUM DEVELOPED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD AND 8
APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT; TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED CONTENT FOR 9
SUCH A CURRICULUM; TO REQUIRE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO CONSULT WITH 10
PARENTS, EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A 11
CURRICULUM; TO SPECIFY THAT PROSELYTIZING OR INDOCTRINATING 12
CONCERNING ANY SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL BELIEF IS NOT 13
AUTHORIZED FOR THE CURRICULA; TO EXEMPT OPTIONAL AFTER-SCHOOL 14
INSTRUCTION PROGRAMS LED BY THIRD PARTIES FROM SUCH PROHIBITION; 15
TO REQUIRE DATA COMPILATION AND ANNUAL REPORTING BY THE 16
DEPARTMENT; TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT TO ACCEPT MONEY FROM THE 17
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SOURCES TO USE IN ASSISTING SCHOOL 18
DISTRICTS IN IMPLEMENTING THE CURRICULA; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 19
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 20
SECTION 1. (1) (a) As used in this section, the following 21
terms have the meanings ascribed unless the context clearly 22
requires otherwise: 23
(i) "Department" means the State Department of 24
Education. 25
S. B. No. 2512 *SS08/R768* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R768
PAGE 2 (icj\kr)

(ii) "Success and character curriculum" means a 26
success sequence and character education curriculum compliant with 27
subsection (2) of this section. 28
(b) Not later than January 1, 2027, the department 29
shall integrate grade-level-appropriate success sequence and 30
character education into the required curriculum for kindergarten 31
through grade 12 of the public schools and shall develop a success 32
and character curriculum for use by school districts. The school 33
board of every district shall adopt a policy to implement success 34
sequence and character education into its curriculum. Not later 35
than the start of the 2028-2029 school year, the school board 36
shall implement either the success and character curriculum 37
developed by the department or a success and character curriculum 38
developed by the school board and approved by the department. The 39
department shall establish a protocol to be used by districts to 40
provide continuity in teaching the success and character 41
curriculum in a manner that is age, grade and developmentally 42
appropriate. 43
(2) The success and character curriculum required by this 44
section shall consist exclusively of instruction in the value of 45
finishing high school, working full time, and marrying before 46
having children, together with instruction in the following 47
character traits and fundamental values deeply rooted in the 48
history and tradition of the United States: 49
S. B. No. 2512 *SS08/R768* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R768
PAGE 3 (icj\kr)

(i) Trustworthiness, including honesty, 50
reliability, punctuality and loyalty; 51
(ii) Responsibility, including hard work, 52
accountability, diligence, good judgment, perseverance and 53
self-control; 54
(iii) Care for family, including parents, 55
siblings, and future spouses and children; 56
(iv) Kindness and generosity toward others; 57
(v) Respect and care for human life; 58
(vi) Respect for parental authority; 59
(vii) Respect for parents' obligations to 60
children; 61
(viii) Respect for the property of other people; 62
(ix) Respect for legitimate authority and law; 63
(x) Respect for patriotism, service to the 64
community, and concern for the common good; 65
(xi) Respect for religious faith, morality, wisdom 66
and knowledge; 67
(xii) Respect for lifelong marriage, sexual 68
fidelity within marriage and sexual abstinence outside of 69
marriage; 70
(xiii) Gratitude; 71
(xiv) Charity; and 72
(xv) Courage. 73
S. B. No. 2512 *SS08/R768* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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PAGE 4 (icj\kr)

(3) In developing or selecting a success and character 74
curriculum, a school district shall consult with a committee 75
selected by the district that consists of: 76
(a) Parents of district students; 77
(b) Educators with experience in teaching character 78
education and content deeply rooted in our country's history and 79
tradition; and 80
(c) Other members of the community, including community 81
leaders with specific knowledge of fundamental values deeply 82
rooted in our country's history and tradition. 83
(4) This section does not authorize proselytizing or 84
indoctrinating concerning any specific religious or political 85
belief. This subsection (4) does not apply to any after-school 86
instruction program led by a third party as provided in subsection 87
(7) of this section. 88
(5) The department shall: 89
(a) Maintain a list of success and character curricula 90
that school districts have implemented; 91
(b) Include in an annual report to the Governor, the 92
Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, and Chairs of the 93
Senate and House Education Committees electronic documents, which 94
shall be made available without charge to the public in a clearly 95
accessible manner on the department's website, with the following 96
information: 97
S. B. No. 2512 *SS08/R768* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R768
PAGE 5 (icj\kr)

(i) Based on data reported by districts, the 98
impact of success and character curricula on student discipline 99
and academic achievement; and 100
(ii) Other reported data relating to success and 101
character curricula that the department considers appropriate for 102
inclusion. 103
(6) The department may accept money from the federal 104
government and private sources to use in assisting school 105
districts in implementing success and character curricula. 106
(7) (a) Each school district and charter school may adopt a 107
program to make the school premises available for after-school 108
instruction programs provided by third parties that instruct 109
students in the grounds for the success sequence and character 110
traits listed in subsection (2) of this section. Such instruction 111
may consist of any philosophical, historical, traditional or 112
religious grounds for the success sequence and character traits 113
listed, or any combination of such grounds. The school governing 114
authority may deny approval to any group that proposes instruction 115
in subject matter that is inconsistent with the grounds of the 116
listed success sequence and character traits, but otherwise may 117
not discriminate against any after-school program based on its 118
viewpoint. Subject to that requirement, no school governing 119
authority may discriminate against any after-school program of 120
instruction on the basis that it contains religious or political 121
expression. 122
S. B. No. 2512 *SS08/R768* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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PAGE 6 (icj\kr)
ST: Public school districts; require
implementation of a success sequence and
character education curriculum in.
(b) No student shall be required to participate in the 123
after-school programs described in this subsection (7) of this 124
section. A student may participate in such after-school programs 125
only if the student and the student's parent or legal guardian 126
consent to the student's participation. Either the student or the 127
student's parent or legal guardian may terminate the student's 128
participation at any time upon notice to the school governing 129
authority. 130
(c) School districts and charter schools making their 131
premises available for after-school instruction shall make a list 132
of approved after-school programs available to parents and adopt a 133
process, in cooperation with the third-party providers, to obtain 134
the consent of the student and the student's parent or legal 135
guardian. 136
(8) The department may adopt rules as necessary to implement 137
this section. 138
SECTION 2. Section 1 of this act shall be codified in 139
Chapter 13, Title 37, Mississippi Code of 1972. 140
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 141
and after its passage. 142