An Act prohibiting public school entities from engaging in certain communications and actions involving prohibited indoctrination; and providing for requirements for public contractors and for enforcement.

PRINTER'S NO. 180
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 227
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY GLEIM, HAMM, LEADBETER, GREINER, KAUFFMAN,
M. BROWN, GROVE, SMITH AND ZIMMERMAN, JANUARY 22, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 22, 2025
AN ACT
Prohibiting public school entities from engaging in certain
communications and actions involving prohibited
indoctrination; and providing for requirements for public
contractors and for enforcement.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Honesty in
Teaching Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Contractor." An individual, organization, corporation or
business that enters into a contract, or a subcontract pursuant
to a contract, with a public school entity.
"Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
"Professional employee." As the term "professional employe"
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is defined in section 1101(1) of the act of March 10, 1949
(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949.
"Public school entity." A school district, intermediate
unit, area career and technical school, charter school, cyber
charter school or regional charter school.
Section 3. Communication and actions by public school entities.
(a) Prohibited indoctrination.--A communication by a public
school entity, an official representative thereof, professional
employee or guest speaker may not compel a person to adopt,
affirm, adhere to or profess an idea in violation of Title IV or
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78
Stat. 241), including that:
(1) People of one age, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, race, creed, color, marital status, familial
status, mental or physical disability, religion or national
origin are inherently superior or inferior to people of
another age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race,
creed, color, marital status, familial status, mental or
physical disability, religion or national origin.
(2) An individual should be discriminated against or
receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of the
individual's age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation,
race, creed, color, marital status, familial status, mental
or physical disability, religion or national origin.
(3) People of one age, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, race, creed, color, marital status, familial
status, mental or physical disability, religion or national
origin, cannot and should not attempt to treat others equally
and without regard to age, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, race, creed, color, marital status, familial
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status, mental or physical disability, religion or national
origin.
(b) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to prohibit the discussion of:
(1) ideas and history of the concepts described in
subsection (a); or
(2) public policy issues of the day or ideas that
individuals may find unwelcome, disagreeable or offensive.
(c) Penalty prohibited.--A public school entity,
professional employee, contractor or student in a public school
entity may not be subject to a penalty or adverse treatment due
to a refusal to engage in prohibited indoctrination under
subsection (a).
(d) Use of funds prohibited.--A public school entity may not
use funds from any source to engage in prohibited indoctrination
under subsection (a).
(e) Teacher training.--The department shall develop and make
available to professional employees technical assistance,
guidance and professional development in accordance with the
following principles:
(1) For education to create citizens capable of self-
government, students need to engage with a variety of
viewpoints on challenging issues, led by a professional
employee who understands that there is greater value in
promoting independent thinking than in advancing the
professional employee's own beliefs.
(2) A professional employee should be prepared to engage
students in academic discussions about all topics, so long as
the professional employee imparts vital knowledge and skills
without imposing the professional employee's own beliefs.
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(3) A professional employee should be prepared to
address challenging issues in the classroom, not avoid them.
(4) A professional employee should be prepared to help
students become discerning consumers of information, to
evaluate and analyze information, to question and verify the
credibility of the information's source and to make the
professional employee's own reasoned judgments supported by
evidence.
Section 4. Requirements for public contractors.
(a) Statement in contract.--A contract entered into by a
public school entity with a contractor after the effective date
of this section shall include the following statement:
"During the performance of this contract, the contractor
may not engage in workplace training of a professional
employee that includes prohibited indoctrination as
stated in the Honesty in Teaching Act."
(b) Statement in subcontracts.--A contractor shall include
in a subcontract the statement under subsection (a) as a
contractual duty imposed on the subcontractor.
Section 5. Enforcement.
(a) Complaints and investigations.--
(1) A parent, student, professional employee or other
person interacting with a public school entity may file a
complaint with the governing board of a public school entity
alleging a violation of section 3 by a professional employee
or contractor. A complaint filed under this section is
subject to the penalties enumerated in 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904
(relating to unsworn falsification to authorities).
(2) A public school entity shall develop a policy on
filing a complaint under paragraph (1). The policy shall be
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made available on the public school entity's publicly
accessible Internet website.
(3) Upon receipt of a complaint, the governing board of
a public school entity shall provide written notice to the
professional employee or contractor detailing the complaint
and stating the time and place for a hearing. The hearing
shall be held no earlier than 15 days and not later than 30
days from the receipt of the complaint. Proceedings under
this section shall be held in accordance with 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 5
Subch. B (relating to practice and procedure of local
agencies).
(4) A written notice of decision of the governing board
of a public school entity shall be sent by registered mail to
the professional employee or contractor and the complainant
within 10 days after the hearing is concluded.
(5) If the complainant, professional employee or
contractor disagrees with the findings of the governing board
of the public school entity, an appeal may be filed with the
Secretary of Education, within 15 days after receipt by
registered mail of the written notice of the decision of the
governing board of a public school entity. The appeal shall
be governed by 2 Pa.C.S. (relating to administrative law and
procedure). The Secretary of Education shall issue a final
ruling with detailed support for the conclusion within 60
days of receipt of the appeal.
(6) The ruling or decision of the Secretary of Education
shall be final unless an appeal is taken in accordance with 2
Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 (relating to judicial review).
(b) Penalty.--
(1) If a violation of section 3 by a professional
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employee is established, the public school entity and any
involved professional employee, shall engage in professional
development in compliance with this section. The families of
students impacted by the violation shall receive notice and a
copy of the decision and action to be taken, which notice
shall be provided by registered mail. The public school
entity shall report the violation to the department through
the Pennsylvania Information Management System.
(2) If a violation is established involving a
contractor, the contract may be canceled, terminated or
suspended, in whole or in part, and the contractor may be
declared ineligible for further government contracts for a
period of one year. The families of students impacted by the
violation shall receive notice and a copy of the decision and
actions to be taken, which notice shall be provided by
registered mail.
Section 6. Effective date.
This act shall take effect immediately.
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