Overview of trends in K-12 curricula development

• Education policy by state
• State public education
• State higher education
• School choice by state
• Charter schools
• Trends in curriculum development
• Curriculum standards in public universities
• Local school board authority across the 50 states

See also: Index of articles about education policy, K-12 education content standards in the states, and K-12 curriculum authority, requirements, and statutes in the states, State policies on cellphone use in K-12 public schools

K-12 curriculum refers to the subjects that make up K-12 courses and generally includes the lessons and materials teachers use to teach them.

Approaches to K-12 curriculum development in public schools vary across states and school districts. State officials, local districts, school leaders, or teachers may each play a role in developing K-12 curriculum. State-level content standards—educational learning and achievement goals that state education officials either require or recommend that local schools satisfy in K-12 instruction—may also influence K-12 curriculum development.

This page is divided into curriculum and school policy trends by topic areas. Each section is divided further by federal-, state-, and local-level activity, then into whether it is an executive, legislative, or litigatory activity. This page provides an overview of trends in public education curriculum development in the following areas:

• Critical race theory (CRT) and CRT-adjacent issues regarding curricula. This section highlights federal, state, and local activity in response to critical race theory and debates about its use in public school curricula.
• Changes to social studies, history, civics, and economics curricula and standards. This section tracks changes to social studies, history, civics, and economics content standards or school curricula at the federal, state, and local levels.
• Removal of books from school libraries. This section tracks efforts by state lawmakers, parent groups, and others to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries, especially books addressing topics related to sex and gender. It also tracks opposition to the removal of books from public school libraries.
• Changes to language arts, reading, and writing. This section tracks changes to educational content standards or school curricula at the state and local levels that seek to address instructional approaches to language arts, reading, and writing.
• Changes to sex education and gender policies and curricula. This section tracks changes to educational content standards, curricula, and policies, as well as responses to changes, at the state and local levels that seek to address instructional approaches to sex education and gender policies.
• Changes to physical health, mental health, and safety policies and curricula. This section tracks changes to educational content standards, curricula, and policies, as well as responses to changes, at the state and local levels that seek to address instructional approaches to physical health, mental health, and safety curricula and policies.
• Changes to computer science and artificial intelligence policies and curricula. This sections tracks changes to educational standards or school curricula at the state and local levels that seek to address instructional approaches to computer science and artificial intelligence.
• Changes to science and environmental studies. This section features efforts by state and local officials to address environmental and climate science curricula in public schools.
• Changes to math content and standards. This section tracks changes to educational content standards or school curricula at the state and local levels that seek to address instructional approaches to math content and standards.
• Changes to graduation requirements. This section tracks changes to graduation requirements at the state and local levels.
• Increases in access to instructional materials. This section tracks efforts by state lawmakers, local officials, and others to address parental access to educational materials used in the classroom, often through online portals.

Recent activity

This section contains a selection of the most recent changes to educational standards or school curricula at the state and local levels.

See also: State policies on cellphone use in K-12 public schools

New Jersey court rules schools cannot notify parents of change in gender identity without student consent (2025): A New Jersey appellate court blocked four school districts in the state from adopting policies requiring schools to notify parents that their students changed their name or gender identity at school. This ruling was consistent with state guidance adopted under former Governor Chris Christie (R) that advises school staff to use a student's preferred name and pronouns and advises against notifying parents of a change in their student's gender identity without the student's consent.

Mead School Board asks Trump administration to clarify legal educational authority amid conflicting state and federal education directives (2025): Washington's Mead School District Board sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon (R) on March 11, 2025, asking the two cabinet members to step in and support them as they face conflicting education policy directive from the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and executive orders from President Donald Trump (R) regarding transgender student policies. OSPI deemed the district noncompliant with its transgender student policies, including restroom access and guidelines for communication with parents. The letter to Trump administration officials stated that the district policy is meant to be a compromise between the federal directives, which are more aligned with the values of the Mead School District community, and state standards. The school board expressed concern over losing funding from either the state or federal government, arguing that they can't implement both policies and stand to lose funding regardless of which policy they adopt.

New Jersey law prohibits book bans in public and school libraries (2024): New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed Assembly Bill 3446 into law on December 9, 2024, which prohibited public and school libraries from removing books because of the origin, background, or views of the library material or those contributing to its creation, according to the text of the bill. It included protections for librarians from civil and criminal liabilities relating to the curation of library materials.

Democratic lawmakers introduce bill to amend Michigan sexual education curriculum (2024): Michigan State Rep. Rachel Hood (D) on November 12, 2024, introduced a bill in the Michigan House of Representatives that would amend the state's sexual education curriculum. The state content standards require schools to provide instruction on HIV and AIDS, but leave the rest of the curriculum up to school district discretion. The proposed curriculum would still offer some discretion to individual school boards, but would require schools to teach "age-appropriate, medically accurate, and objective sex education." The bill would also remove certain curriculum restrictions on topics such as abortion.

California governor signs bill requiring AI literacy in K-12 curriculum (2024): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law on September 29, 2024, to require public schools to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) literacy into K-12 curriculum. The bill directs California's Instructional Quality Commission to incorporate AI literacy into the state's math, science, and history curriculum.

California governor signs bill to require instruction about Native American treatment during Ca. gold rush (2024): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 1821 on September 27, 2024, to require instruction about the Spanish colonization of California and the gold rush era to include the treatment and perspectives of Native Americans. The bill will take effect with the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

Michigan Supreme Court upholds decision that parents cannot request curricula held by teachers under FOIA (2024): The Michigan Supreme Court denied a parent's appeal on September 25, 2024, after the Michigan Court of Appeals held that Michigan parents could not request some school curricula under public record acts. The ruling decided that only records possessed by a public body itself, and not its employees, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Supreme Court agrees to hear case regarding parents' ability to opt children out of LGBTQ+ curriculum (2024): Maryland parents petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on September 12, 2024, to allow them to opt their children out of instruction on gender and sexuality after the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld Montgomery School Districts decision to remove parents' ability to do so. In the case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, parents in Montgomery County challenged the district's removal of parental notice and opt-outs for books containing LGBTQ+ material for pre-K through 5th grade students, contending the curriculum infringed on their constitutional right to religious freedom. The court ruled that the parents did not adequately demonstrate how the curriculum would burden their rights, holding that the record of how teachers taught or discussed the books was scant; U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee, who authored the majority opinion, contended that this was necessary to prove that the lack of opt-out choice was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.

California parents sue school district, elementary school alleging violation of parents rights to opt out of LGBTQ+ curriculum (2024): Carlos and Jennifer Encinas sued the Encinitas Union School District and the La Costa Heights Elementary school, among others, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on September 10, 2024, alleging the school and school district violated their parental rights to opt their child out of LGBTQ+ instruction that they said was counter to their religious beliefs, among other allegations. According to the lawsuit, the California education code allows parents to opt their children out of health instruction that conflicts with religious training and beliefs, but the Encinitas Union School District does not allow opt-outs unless it is part of the formal health instruction, according to the lawsuit.

Introduction of critical race theory (CRT) and CRT-adjacent issues into curricula

See also: Use of the term critical race theory (CRT) and Areas of inquiry and disagreement related to critical race theory (CRT)

Critical race theory (CRT) is a set of ideas, theories, and principles that can influence the understanding of race and racism. It can also refer to activism based on the framework. The term has come into widespread use among politicians, journalists, and others in recent years, particularly in debates about K-12 curriculum. Definitions and interpretations of CRT vary. The following section highlights federal, state, and local activity in response to critical race theory and debates about its use in public school curriculum. Some responses may overlap with other response topics on this page, such as the selection of textbooks and model curricula; changes to history, civics, and social studies curricula; and the removal of books from school libraries.

For more information about the main areas of inquiry and disagreement related to CRT, click here.

Federal-level activity

The following selected stories feature federal-level responses to trends in public education curriculum development related to critical race theory (CRT) and CRT-adjacent issues.

Executive activity

This section covers responses from presidents or federal executive agencies regarding CRT or CRT-adjacent issues.

• Trump directs executive agencies to make plans rescinding federal funds to school programs teaching what he called gender or equity ideology (2025): President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order (E.O.) on January 29, 2025, entitled Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, prohibiting federal funding that directly or indirectly facilitates K-12 instruction regarding what the bill calls gender or equity ideology. It directs federal executive agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, to create a plan to relinquish federal funds from school or teacher certification programs that include what the E.O. called gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology. The order defined discriminatory equity ideology as ideology that treats individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups rather than as individuals and minimizes agency, merit, and capability in favor of immoral generalizations.

Legislative activity

This section covers legislative responses at the federal level making changes related to CRT.

• Trio of House education bills seek to block CRT in public schools (2023): U.S. Representative Bob Good (R-Va.) in September introduced three bills to limit critical race theory in public schools. The Empowering Local Curriculum Act proposed prohibiting schools receiving federal funds from requiring the teaching of critical race theory. The Defending Students’ Civil Rights Act proposed defining critical race theory as a civil rights violation and prohibit federal financial assistance. The Empowering Parents Act proposed establishing a private right of action for parents if a school teaches CRT.

• Cotton seeks clarification about federal involvement in education letter (2022): U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on January 24, 2022, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona seeking to clarify whether the U.S. Department of Education (ED) played a role in an October 2021 letter from the National Education Association (NEA) to social media companies. In the letter, the NEA urged social media companies to remove posts featuring what the group referred to as propaganda that expresses concerns about the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.

State-level activity

The following selected stories feature state-level activity in response to trends in public education curriculum development related to critical race theory (CRT) and CRT-adjacent issues.

Executive activity

This section covers executive activity at the state level. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning CRT and responses to those executive actions.

• Louisana governor signs executive order preventing critical race theory in schools (2024): Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) signed an executive order on August 27, 2024, preventing K-12 public schools from using critical race theory (CRT). CRT, according to the order, includes "divisive teachings that instruct students to view life through the lens of race and victimhood."

• Federal court temporarily blocks Oklahoma law banning instruction on race and sex (2024): The United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma ruled on June 14, 2024, to temporarily block enforcement of a 2021 law banning instruction on certain concepts related to race and sex in public schools. The lawsuit argued that the law censored classroom instruction and violated the First Amendment. The court granted a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the law pending further litigation.

• Resolution by Utah Republican Party to repeal state education rule, saying it promotes CRT, fails to pass (2024): The Utah GOP adopted a resolution to repeal administrative rule R277-328, titled Educational Equity in Schools, on October 28, 2023, stating that it "installed, codified and further entrenched the Praxis of CRT into Utah’s Schools," according to the resolution. The resolution contended that the rule was inconsistent with the state’s Individual Freedom in Public Education law, passed in 2023, which required all instructional material and classroom instruction to be consistent with "inalienable rights, equal opportunity, and individual merit," according to the text of the law. Utah Education Association President Renée Pinkney disagreed, according to KSL.com, arguing that R277-328 provided equal opportunities in schools that met the diverse needs of students. The resolution failed to pass the Utah State Board of Education on January 11, 2024. It was rejected by a 7-8 vote.

• Oklahoma governor signs executive order on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in state agencies and institutes for higher education (2023): Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) signed Executive Order 2023-31 on December 13, 2023. The executive order mandated that state agencies and institutes for higher education could not use state funds, property, or resources to support diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; mandate DEI education; mandate a loyalty oath to any particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin; mandate any person to declare support or adherence to any particular political, philosophical, religious, or other ideological viewpoint; mandate a prospective employee to provide a DEI statement; or mandate any person to disclose their pronouns. In addition, the Executive Order instructed relevant entities to initiate a review of DEI-related positions, activities, and programs and consider eliminating or restructuring such programs by May 31, 2024.

• Arizona superintendent criticizes CRT professional development materials for teachers (2023): Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R), in a June 8, 2023, press conference, criticized teacher instruction materials in Mesa. Horne argued against a passage contained in the materials, which stated that "black and Indigenous people of color are most vulnerable due to living under a system of white supremacy,” saying the United States did not promote systems of white supremacy and argued that the passage demonstrated a “typical critical race theory statement.”

• Kentucky gubernatorial candidates sign pledge opposing CRT (2023): Kentucky gubernatorial candidates Daniel Cameron (R), Kelly Knight Craft (R), and Ryan Quarles (R) signed 1776 Action's Parent Power Pledge. The pledge opposed the teaching of critical race theory in schools and said parents should have the ability to "review and influence both instructional materials and extracurricular activities."

• Virginia education agency proposes new history standards in public schools (2022): The Virginia Department of Education proposed new standards on November 11, 2022, that establish requirements for the state’s public schools that align with the Youngkin administration’s (R) preferred approaches to teaching Virginia and U.S. history. The standards proposed patriotism lessons for kindergarteners; instruction on critical thinking skills for first graders; lessons for fourth-grade students on the Civil Rights movement, James Madison, George Washington, the Civil War, and Reconstruction; and instruction for eleventh-grade students about Christopher Columbus and the race-based enslavement of Africans. After delaying an August vote on the proposal until November, the Virginia State Board of Education voted 8-0 on November 17, 2022, to further delay the SOL review process until 2023.

• Texas State Board of Education approves changes to social studies curriculum (2022): The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) on September 26, 2022, voted 8-5 to approve changes to public education curriculum guidelines that aim to align with the requirements set forth in SB 3, which was signed into law in 2021 and prohibits instruction stating that an individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, among other provisions.

• Florida Department of Education aims to prohibit inclusion of critical race theory and social justice in social studies textbooks (2022): The Florida Department of Education in May 2022 issued guidance to textbook publishers informing them on the instructional materials that can and cannot be included in K-12 social studies textbooks. The guidance states, "Critical Race Theory, Social Justice, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Social and Emotional Learning, and any other unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination are prohibited.” The specifications also state that “instructional materials should not attempt to indoctrinate or persuade students to a viewpoint inconsistent with Florida standards.”

• Ohio Republican lawmakers introduce bill to ban divisive concepts from public schools (2022): State Representatives Mike Loychik (R) and Jean Schmidt (R) on April 4, 2022, introduced a bill in the Ohio House of Representatives that aims to ban curriculum that promotes what lawmakers deem divisive concepts in public schools. The bill provided a list of prohibited topics, including critical race theory; intersectionality; diversity, equity, and inclusion learning outcomes; and “any other concept that the state board of education defines as divisive or inherently racist.” The bill also aimed to ban curriculum on sexual orientation and gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade. HB 616 died in the Ohio House of Representatives at the end of the 2021-2022 legislative session.

• The Virginia Department of Education approves AP African Studies course (2023): Following a six-month-long review, the Virginia Department of Education approved the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American studies course, stating that the course aligns with Youngkin's January 2022 executive order that banned the teaching of CRT in public schools.

• Virginia governor issues executive order banning critical race theory instruction in public schools (2022): Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) on January 15, 2022, signed an executive order prohibiting the teaching of CRT in the state's public schools. The order directs the Virginia superintendent of public instruction to prohibit the inclusion of what the order refers to as divisive concepts in school policies and curricula.

• Alabama board bans critical race theory in classrooms (2021): The Alabama State Board of Education on August 12, 2021, voted along party lines to ban instruction in critical race theory from K-12 public school classrooms in a resolution titled "Preservation of Intellectual Freedom and Non-Discrimination in Alabama Public Schools." The resolution prohibits "K-12 public education resources or standards intended to indoctrinate students in social or political ideologies that promote one race or sex above another."

Legislative activity

This section covers legislative activity at the state level related to CRT.

• South Carolina lawmakers debate bill to limit classroom instruction on race (2024): A conference committee that consisted of three members of the South Carolina House of Representatives and three members of the South Carolina Senate met on May 7, 2024, to debate a bill aimed at limiting methods for K-12 classroom instruction on race. The Senate and House each passed a bill in 2023 on the topic, however, the chambers had yet to reach a compromise to address the differences in the bills. The bills contained a variety of provisions relating to posting instructional materials online, prohibiting instruction that teaches that one race is superior to another, and establishing an appeals process for parents to oppose certain instructional materials.

• Alabama governor signs bill prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and divisive concepts (2024): Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed SB 129 on March 20, 2024, prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in school districts. It also banned the teaching of what the state called divisive concepts, which it defined as including curriculum suggesting inherent racial superiority, making moral judgments based on qualities like race, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin, assigning collective guilt, or denouncing meritocracy as racist or sexist.

• North Carolina lawmakers aim to ban teaching divisive concepts in public schools (2023): The North Carolina House of Representatives on March 22, 2023, passed a bill that aimed to prohibit public schools from promoting that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex” or that individuals “by virtue of his or her race or sex, should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress,” according to the text of the bill. HB 187 passed the House with a vote of 68-49 along party lines and moved to the Senate for consideration.

• Kentucky lawmakers override governor's veto of anti-critical race theory bill (2022): The Kentucky legislature overrode Governor Andy Beshear's veto of Senate Bill 1 on April 13, 2022, a measure opponents have labeled an anti-critical race theory bill. The bill did not reference the term critical race theory but directed public schools to teach that "An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, does not bear responsibility for actions committed by other members of the same race or sex," according to the bill's text. Governor Beshear had argued the bill would stifle important educational dialogue and vetoed the bill on April 6, but the legislature moved forward with the override, enacting the bill into law.

• Ohio Republican lawmakers introduce bill seeking to ban divisive concepts from public schools (2022): State Representatives Mike Loychik (R) and Jean Schmidt (R) on April 4, 2022, introduced a bill in the Ohio House of Representatives that aimed to ban curriculum that promoted what the legislation called divisive or racist concepts in public schools. HB 616 provided a list of prohibited topics, including critical race theory; intersectionality; diversity, equity, and inclusion learning outcomes; and “any other concept that the state board of education defines as divisive or inherently racist,” according to the bill. It also aimed to ban curriculum on sexual orientation and gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade. HB 616 died in the Ohio House of Representatives at the end of the 2021-2022 legislative session.

• South Dakota governor signs bill to prohibit teaching critical race theory in public universities (2022): South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) on March 21, 2022, signed a bill that aimed to prohibit instruction on critical race theory in public universities. The law banned university orientation or training materials from promoting what the text called divisive concepts, including the notion “that any race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.”

• Mississippi governor signs bill to prohibit teaching critical race theory in public schools (2022): Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) on March 14, 2022, signed a bill into law that aimed to prohibit teaching critical race theory in public schools. The bill did not reference the term critical race theory but prohibited public schools from directing “students to affirm that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior,” according to the bill's text.

• Arizona lawmakers advance constitutional amendment to prohibit critical race theory in schools (2022): The Arizona House of Representatives on February 17, 2022, approved House Concurrent Resolution 2001 (HCR 2001), which aimed to prohibit the instruction of critical race theory in the state's public schools. The Arizona State Senate did not vote on the resolution before adjourning. The legislatively referred constitutional amendment was not on the November 8, 2022, ballot because it did not receive a simple majority vote in both chambers of the state legislature.

• Florida lawmakers prohibit teaching critical race theory in public schools (2021): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) on December 15, 2021, announced his intent to introduce the Stop Wrongs Against our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act in the Florida State Legislature. The bill aimed to codify the Florida Department of Education's 2021 prohibition against the instruction of critical race theory in the state's public schools, among other provisions. DeSantis signed the Stop WOKE Act into law on April 22, 2022.

Litigation activity

This section covers litigation activity at the state level related to CRT.

• Tennessee teacher group sues state over law governing instruction on social issues (2023): The Tennessee Education Association filed a lawsuit on July 25, 2023, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee challenging a state law enacted in 2021 that prohibited educators from teaching “certain concepts about racism, sexism, bias, and other social issues,” according to Chalkbeat Tennessee.

Local activity

The following selected stories feature local-level responses to trends in public education curriculum development related to critical race theory (CRT) and CRT-adjacent issues.

School district activity

This section covers school board or superintendent activity at the local level making changes related to CRT.

• Francis Howell School District votes to revoke what supporters call anti-racism resolution (2023): Missouri's Francis Howell School Board voted on July 20, 2023, to pass a measure that rescinded certain resolutions, including an August 2020 policy opposing what the resolution described as systemic racism. The measure "rescinded resolutions 75 days after 'a majority of current Board of Education members were not signatories to the resolution or did not otherwise vote to adopt the resolution.'" As of 2023, only two board members from 2020 remained on the board.

• Temecula Valley school board prohibits the teaching of critical race theory (2022): California's Temecula Valley School Board voted 3-2 on December 14, 2022, to prohibit the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 curriculum. The resolution banned topics such as teaching that “an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist and/or sexist, whether consciously or unconsciously” and that “an individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex," according to the text.

• Richland school board enacts new policy on race in U.S. history lessons (2022): Washington state's Richland School Board, which governs the 583rd largest school district in the country with 14,221 students, voted 4-1 on October 25, 2022, to adopt a policy that prohibits curriculum that causes students to become “indoctrinated in the belief that the U.S. is fundamentally or systemically racist”, according to the policy guidelines. It also barred teachings that give preferential or disparaging treatment to any student.

• Washington school board passes new curriculum guidelines on race topics (2022): The Kennewick School Board in Washington state unanimously voted to adopt a new set of curriculum guidelines on August 24, 2022, that aimed to prohibit teachings that the U.S. is fundamentally or systemically racist or that a group of people is inherently racist, oppressed, or victimized. The policy also sought to bar what it called politically leaning content from being included in course curricula, including content from the 1619 Project and the Zinn Education Project.

• Washington school board director proposes new guidelines about critical race theory and gender identity (2022): The Mead School Board in Washington state proposed a new set of curriculum guidelines on August 15, 2022, that aimed to prohibit specific statements in the classroom that aim to make one racial group or sex feel inferior. The policy also sought to bar certain readings from being included in course curricula, including content drawn from the 1619 Project initiative and the books Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and How to be AntiRacist, and proposed prohibiting books containing topics with references to gender identity, gender fluidity, the gender spectrum, or gender-neutral ideology in K-5 school libraries. The Mead School Board voted 3-2 to not pass the curriculum guidelines on September 12, 2022.

• Mellen School District votes to prohibit race from being discussed during American history lessons (2022): The Mellen School Board in Wisconsin voted on April 20, 2022, to adopt a new policy to prohibit race from being discussed in American history lessons. The board adopted the policy language following survey responses from parents. The decision followed a vote in March that barred subjects such as critical race theory, religion, sexual orientation, privilege, empathy, and political orientation from being taught in classrooms.

• Placentia-Yorba Linda School District votes to bar critical race theory from classrooms (2022): The trustees of California's Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District on April 15, 2022, voted 3-2 to pass a resolution prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory in schools. The resolution stated that the school district “supports efforts in education to promote equity, respect, diversity; celebrate the contributions of all; and encourage culturally relevant and inclusive teaching practices, but will not allow the use of Critical Race Theory as a framework to guide such efforts.”

Litigation activity

This section covers litigation activity by or against local actors, such as local boards of education, related to CRT.

• High school teacher sues Arkansas governor over LEARNS Act (2024): A teacher from Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, joined by a group of students and parents, filed a lawsuit on March 25, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas against Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) challenging the LEARNS Act. The LEARNS Act—which stands for Literacy, Empowerment, Accountability, Readiness, Networking, and School Safety—was signed into law on March 6, 2024, and aimed to restructure K-12 education in the state. The lawsuit challenged a provision in the law that prohibited what the act refers to as indoctrination in K-12 education, citing critical race theory as an example. The plaintiffs asked the court to find the section of the act unconstitutional, arguing that it violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky issued a preliminary injunction on May 7, 2024, that allowed teachers to discuss CRT in the classroom while litigation proceeds, but did not end the ban on what the law defined as indoctrination in schools.

• Parents sue Temecula Valley Unified School District over prohibition on critical race theory instruction (2023): A group of parents, students, and teachers filed a lawsuit on August 2, 2023, in the Superior Court of Riverside County, California challenging the Temecula Valley Unified School District's policy prohibiting critical race theory instruction. The school board enacted Resolution 21 in December 2022, which banned educators from teaching what the board referred to as critical race theory and related doctrines, according to the resolution. The plaintiffs argued that the resolution was unconstitutional and that the district's actions "censor Temecula educators and infringe on Temecula schoolchildren's fundamental right to an education," according to the lawsuit. Riverside Superior Court Judge Eric Keen ruled on February 23, 2024, not to block the Temecula resolution while the lawsuit moved forward.

Changes to social studies, history, civics, and economics

See also: K-12 education content standards in the states and K-12 curriculum authority, requirements, and statutes in the states

The selected responses below track changes to social studies, history, civics, and economics content standards or school curricula at the federal, state, and local levels.

Federal-level activity

This section tracks activity at the federal level related to history, civics, and social studies instruction in public schools.

Litigation Activity

This section tracks litigation activity at the federal level related to history, civics, and social studies instruction in public schools.

• Supreme Court agrees to hear case regarding parents' ability to opt children out of LGBTQ+ curriculum (2024): Maryland parents petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on September 12, 2024, to allow them to opt their children out of instruction on gender and sexuality after the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld Montgomery School Districts decision to remove parents' ability to do so. In the case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, parents in Montgomery County challenged the district's removal of parental notice and opt-outs for books containing LGBTQ+ material for pre-K through 5th grade students, contending the curriculum infringed on their constitutional right to religious freedom. The court ruled that the parents did not adequately demonstrate how the curriculum would burden their rights, holding that the record of how teachers taught or discussed the books was scant; U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee, who authored the majority opinion, contended that this was necessary to prove that the lack of opt-out choice was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.

• Louisiana parents sue state over Ten Commandments display requirement in public school classrooms (2024): Parents of Louisiana public school students sued Governor Jeff Landry (R) in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana after he signed HB 71, which required all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments on June 19, 2024. The lawsuit contended that the bill "unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture," according to the text of the bill. Landry argued that if Moses' face was allowed to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol, the Ten Commandments were appropriate in classrooms.

• Federal judge strikes down New Hampshire law against teaching divisive concepts (2024): Judge Paul Barbadoro for the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire on May 28, 2024, ruled against a New Hampshire state law limiting K-12 instruction on race, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and certain other topics. The judge struck down the law, arguing that it was unconstitutionally vague. The law was enacted in 2021 to prohibit teaching what the bill referred to as divisive concepts in public schools.

• Parent sues California district over alleged withholding of Israel-Palestine conflict curriculum (2024): Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) parent Yossi Fendel and the Deborah Project filed a lawsuit on April 4, 2024, against BUSD, alleging that the district violated state law by not responding Fendel's Public Records Act request for the ethnic studies curriculum regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The lawsuit also contended that the curriculum he did view was biased against Israel, violating state law and district policy for teaching subjects deemed controversial. The Deborah Project, a law firm that, according to their website, aims to defend Jews in educational settings from discrimination, has active lawsuits against three California school districts.

• Coalition of attorneys general files amicus brief in support of incorporating LGBTQ+ books in curriculum (2023): A coalition of 19 attorneys general filed an amicus brief on October 31, 2023, in support of Maryland's Montgomery County Board of Education’s policy to allow LGBTQ+ books to be incorporated into the curriculum. Montgomery County Public Schools faced legal challenges from a group of parents after implementing a policy in the 2022-2023 school year to incorporate LGBTQ+ books into their curriculum. The coalition included attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

State-level activity

The following selected stories feature state-level responses to changes to social studies, history, civics, and economics content standards or school curricula.

Executive-level activity

This section highlights executive activity at the state level. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning social studies, history, civics, and economics content standards or school curricula and responses to those executive actions.

• Florida Board of Education reapproves social studies standards (2024): The Florida Board of Education on May 29, 2024, approved social studies standards for public schools for the 2024-2025 school year. The standards include curriculum related to African American history that requires instruction on “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” The benchmark was first included in the state’s curriculum in 2023 and was met with opposition from community members and certain lawmakers. Amidst calls from opponents for the state board to alter the curriculum, the May 29 vote solidifies its inclusion in the 2024-2025 school year.

• Minnesota Education Department adopts ethnic studies standard after facing opposition from lawmakers (2024): Chief Administrative Judge Jenny Starr of the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings approved the Minnesota Department of Education's new social studies standard that required ethnic studies on February 1, 2024, after administrative law Judge Eric Lipman called for changes to the standard's wording in a November 2023 ruling that called the standard unduly vague. The department issued the new standard pursuant to Minnesota's 2023 House File 2497, which required schools to implement an ethnic studies requirement by the 2027-2028 school year. The Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings reviewed the standard as part of a hearing requested by 25 or more commenters on the department’s proposed rule to implement the new standard. The proposal faced opposition from state Republican lawmakers, who argued in a letter sent to the administrative law judge before the hearing that the standards exceeded the scope of social studies outlined in the state statute, which included history, geography, economics, and government and citizenship.

• Pennsylvania launches Disability Inclusive Curriculum Pilot Program (2023): The Pennsylvania Department of Education announced on August 11, 2023, that ten schools were selected to launch the Disability Inclusive Curriculum Pilot Program. The program aimed to implement curricula for “K-12 students on the political, economic, and social contributions of individuals with disabilities,” according to a press release. The pilot program began in the 2023-2024 school year and was set to run for three years. The pilot program included up to $10,000 in state funding for participating schools each year to implement the curriculum.

• Arkansas Department of Education removes AP African American studies course (2023): The Arkansas Department of Education on August 11, 2023, removed the AP African American studies course from schools for the 2023-2024 school year, arguing that the pilot course may not align with state law. The state department contended that they “cannot approve a pilot that may unintentionally put a teacher at risk of violating Arkansas law,” according to EducationWeek. College Board piloted the curriculum in 60 schools during the 2022-2023 school year and was set to expand to more schools throughout the United States in the 2023-2024 school year, including six schools in Arkansas. Florida was the first state to ban the curriculum in January 2023.

• California governor announces new textbooks after district votes against updated curriculum (2023): Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced on July 19, 2023, that the state would enter into a contract to deliver textbooks and instructional materials to students in the Temecula Valley Unified School District for the 2023-2024 school year to comply with state law. The announcement followed a 3-2 school board vote on July 18, 2023, to reject an updated social studies curriculum. The proposed curriculum sparked debate over including Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to office in California, in the social studies instructional materials. Newsom said in a statement that the state would fine the district $1.5 million “for its decision to willfully violate the law, subvert the will of parents, and force children to use an out-of-print textbook from 17 years ago.” In response to the fine, the school board called an emergency meeting on July 21, 2023, and voted to adopt the proposed curriculum and textbooks.

• Washington, D.C. votes to include Sikhism in social studies curriculum (2023): The District of Columbia State Board of Education voted on June 21, 2023, to include Sikhism in their social studies curriculum. Washington, D.C. joined 17 states that have included the Sikh faith in social studies content standards. Sikh Coalition Education Director Harman Singh said in a statement following the vote, “Inclusive and accurate standards are an important first step to combat bigotry and to reduce bullying, and they benefit all students by increasing baseline cultural competency and decreasing ignorance.”

• Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) replaces early education director, calls teacher training book woke (2023): Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) announced on April 21, 2023, that she would replace Barbara Cooper, the director of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, over concerns related to the distribution of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book to schools in the state. A statement from Ivey's office contended that the teacher training book suggested teaching concepts like structural racism, white privilege, and LGBTQ+ inclusion to pre-kindergarten students.

• Connecticut announces plan to develop Native American studies curriculum for K-12 public schools (2022): Governor Ned Lamont (D) and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) announced a partnership with state tribal leaders on November 30, 2022, to develop a Native American studies model curriculum for K-12 students. The announcement follows legislation signed by the governor in June 2021 that established new subject matter requirements, including a requirement to establish a model curriculum for Native American studies to be implemented by the 2023-2024 school year.

• Virginia Board of Education postpones public hearings for proposed history curriculum standards (2022): The Virginia Board of Education announced on August 17, 2022, that they will delay voting on new statewide history curriculum standards, following opposition from the Youngkin administration regarding some of the proposed changes. Gov. Youngkin (R) opposed removing “references to George Washington as ‘the father of our country’ and James Madison as the ‘father of the Constitution’” and using the word succession instead of secession. A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Education stated that those changes were made in error. After months of public discussion, the board voted in a 5-3 vote on February 2, 2023, to accept the proposed curriculum for initial review.

Legislative activity

This section highlights legislative activity at the state level related to social studies, history, civics, and economics content standards or school curricula.

• California governor signs bill to require instruction about Native American treatment during Ca. gold rush (2024): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 1821 on September 27, 2024, to require instruction about the Spanish colonization of California and the Gold Rush Era to include the treatment and perspectives of Native Americans. The bill will take effect with the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

• Delaware governor signs bill to include racial, ethnic, and cultural groups' contributions in local K-12 curriculum (2024): Delaware Governor John Carney (D) signed Senate Bill 297 on September 26, 2024, to require the Delaware Department of Education to update their diversity regulations with "a non-exhaustive list of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups," and promote their inclusion in local K-12 curricula, according to the text of the bill. The bill said it aims to foster academic achievement and cultural competence.

• Iowa governor signs new social studies curriculum bill (2024): Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed a new education curriculum law on May 15, 2024, which proposed requiring social studies curriculum to include specific people, topics, and themes including what the bill called exemplary figures in western Civilization and the cultural heritage of western civilization, according to the text of the bill. Sen. Jeff Taylor (R) said the curricular focus on western civilization is the foundational context to both American history and current culture. Sen. Molly Donahue (D) argued that the bill was too prescriptive on curriculum and that it is not the job of the legislature to write curriculum.

• Florida governor signs bill to add the history of communism to social studies K-12 curriculum (2024): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed SB 1264, which required a comprehensive history of communism in the United States, domestic communist movements, and what the bill called “atrocities committed in foreign countries under the guidance of communism,” according to the text of the bill. The standard applies for all grades K-12 with what the bill refers to as age-appropriate lessons. Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. contended that the bill would create a better understanding of communism and its effects “so when [students] get to the higher ed level, they will not be fooled by anyone trying to tell them the story otherwise,” according to ClickOrlando.com. Florida Representative Anna Eskamani (D) voted against the bill, arguing that it taught a specific political point of view to students, according to SpectrumNews13.

• Kentucky governor signs bill to add civic education to state curriculum requirements (2024): Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) signed a bill on April 9, 2024, to require students to complete a civic literacy course to graduate high school. The bill proposed requiring the civics course to include an overview of the founding of America's government, the U.S. and Kentucky Constitutions, and the role of state and local governments, among other provisions. The bill proposed providing the option for students to forgo the course in the event they score 70% or higher on a civics test with questions drawn from the test administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to immigrants seeking citizenship. The bill will take effect with the entering ninth-grade class of the 2025-2026 school year.

• Wisconsin bill includes Hmong Americans and Asian Americans in social studies curriculum (2024): Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) signed AB 232 into law on April 1, 2024, which directed school boards to include Hmong Americans and Asian Americans in their social studies curriculums. The law previously required schools to "give pupils an understanding of human relations, particularly with regard to American Indians, Black Americans, and Hispanics," and AB232 added Hmong Americans and Asian Americans to the list. Wisconsin had the third largest population of Hmong Americans in the United States, as of April 2024.

• Washington adds LGBTQ+ to school curriculum (2024): Governor Jay Inslee (D) signed SB 5462, titled “Promoting inclusive learning standards and instructional materials in public schools,” on March 18, 2024, that required schools to teach LGBTQ+ history and perspectives as part of their social studies curriculum beginning no later than October 1, 2025. The bill also required districts to hire what the bill refers to as an inclusive curricula coordinator to ensure that the curriculum aligns with Washington state law. The state senate passed SB 5462 mainly along party lines.

• Mississippi governor signs sign language curriculum bill into law (2024): Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed SB2339 into law on April 15, 2024, to allow sign language to meet high school foreign language graduation requirements. The bill is effective as of July 1, 2024.

• Washington state legislature bill that prohibits local districts from excluding protected classes from curriculum passes both houses (2024): Washington state Governor Jay Inslee (D) signed HB 2331 March 28, 2024, titled "Modifying requirements for public school instructional and supplemental instructional materials," to prohibit local districts from excluding curriculum on the basis that it includes protected classes. The Lynden and Meridian school districts' school boards wrote letters to the governor opposing the bill, arguing that it limited local school districts' control of the curriculum. The bill took effect on June 6, 2024.

• Wisconsin State Legislature introduces bill to create civics curriculum standards (2024): Republican representatives introduced AB 898 on January 4, 2024, to the Wisconsin State Assembly that proposed requiring the state Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to create a civics curriculum that aimed to foster an "understanding of pupils' rights and responsibilities as residents of this state" and "incur a sense civic pride," according to the text of the bill. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly released a statement arguing that the bill would not improve the civics curriculum in place, that the bill lacked definitions of civics-related terms, and that the bill overrode local control of content standards and curriculum. AB 898 failed to pass the Wisconsin State Senate on April 15, 2024.

• California enacts law requiring ethnic studies and LGBTQ+ history curriculum (2023): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law on September 25, 2023, to reinforce state laws requiring ethnic studies and LGBTQ+ history curriculum. The law prohibits school boards from banning “an appropriately adopted textbook, instructional material, or curriculum on the basis that it contains inclusive and diverse perspectives,” according to the bill. School districts found in violation of the law face fiscal penalties.

• Pennsylvania state senators introduce legislation to require AAPI curriculum (2023): Pennsylvania State Senators Maria Collett (D) and Nikil Saval (D) introduced a bill in the 2023-2024 legislative session to incorporate Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history curriculum in Pennsylvania public schools. State Rep. Patty Kim (D) introduced a companion bill in the state House of Representatives.

Litigation activity

This section covers litigation activity at the state level related to history, civics, and social studies instruction in public schools.

• California parents sue school district, elementary school alleging violation of parents rights to opt out of LGBTQ+ curriculum opposing families' religious beliefs (2024): Carlos and Jennifer Encinas sued the Encinitas Union School District and the La Costa Heights Elementary school, among others, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on September 10, 2024, alleging the school and school district violated their parental rights to opt their child out of LGBTQ+ instruction that they said was counter to their religious beliefs, among other allegations. According to the lawsuit, the California education code allows parents to opt their children out of health instruction that conflicts with religious training and beliefs, but the Encinitas Union School District does not allow opt-outs unless it is part of the formal health instruction, according to the lawsuit.

Local activity

The following selected stories feature local-level responses to changes to social studies, history, civics, and economics content standards or school curricula.

School district activity

This section highlights school board or superintendent activity at the local level related to social studies, history, civics, and economics content standards or school curricula.

• Colorado school district approves new middle school social studies curriculum to comply with state regulations (2024): Colorado's Summit School District on April 14, 2024, moved to adopt new social studies materials for middle school-aged students to comply with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) standards adopted in 2022. CDE adopted the standards in response to the passage of HB 19-1192, the purpose of these standards, according to the CDE "[w]as to ensure that the history, culture and social contributions of minority groups, including African Americans, Latinos, Indigenous peoples, Asian Americans, Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals were recognized in Colorado's history and civics standards."

• Kern High School Board of Trustees approves ethnic studies curriculum (2024): California's Kern High School Board of Trustees on April 2, 2024, approved a pilot ethnic studies program. The board enacted the program following a California mandate that high school students must participate in an ethnic studies curriculum beginning with the class of 2030. Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Leo Holland stated in a presentation about the curriculum, “Students will utilize critical thinking in order to analyze the contributions, lived experiences, and histories of people of color, with specific focus on four subgroups- African Americans, Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, Latina/o/x Americans, and Native Americans.” The program began in the 2024-2025 school year and was recommended to be a ninth-grade course.

• Pennridge School District eliminates newly approved social studies curriculum (2024): Pennridge School District in Pennsylvania voted 6-3 on January 22, 2024, to eliminate the curriculum changes adopted by the previous school board in August 2023. The new school board members elected in November 2023 campaigned on the promise of eliminating the new curriculum and ending the relationship between the school district and the education consulting firm Vermillion Education. Vermilion Education is a small business aimed at “secur[ing] a transparent and ideology-free education for all students,” according to their website. Parents argued at the August 2023 school board meeting against the content of the curriculum and one board member argued against adopting “curriculum written by an outsider with no experience in public education,” according to Patch. The previous social studies curriculum once again became effective beginning with the class of 2028.

• Three members of the Temecula Valley Unified School District face recall effort after voting to reject social studies curriculum (2023): Three board members face a recall effort after they voted against adopting a textbook for elementary school students. The board members facing the recall effort are Joseph Komrosky, Jennifer Wiersma, and Danny Gonzalez of the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Education. One Temecula Valley Political Action Committee, which said it was formed “in response to a very real and dangerous threat to local governance posed by political and religious extremist views,” led the recall effort. The One Temecula Valley Political Action Committee served the three members with a notice of intention to recall them on June 13, 2023.

• Woodland Park District Board of Education adopts American Birthright social studies content standard (2023): Colorado's Woodland Park RE-2 School District School Board voted to implement the American Birthright social studies educational standard on January 11, 2023, one month after the Colorado State Board of Education rejected the social studies standard. The standard was created by the Civics Alliance, a coalition of education policymakers that aim to "preserve civics education that teaches students to take pride in what they share as Americans". The American Birthright standard emphasized "ideals of liberty, constitutional order, the expansion of liberty, the preservation of the republic, the expansion of the republic, commercial expansion, national interest, national unity, moral crusade, populist revolt, and moderation," according to the text of the standard. Some Woodland Park community members argued that the standard doesn't reflect the community's view, and some teachers resigned over the change. Superintendent Ken Witt said he believed these standards were in accordance with Woodland Park School District's values. "

• Hillsborough Board of Education votes to approve K-12 social studies curriculum revisions (2022): The Hillsborough Board of Education in New Jersey voted on September 19, 2022, to approve a revised K-12 social studies curriculum. The revisions included changes to civics standards and new diverse resources for instruction, among other provisions.

• Pilot program for New York City's Asian American and Pacific Islander history curriculum launches for the 2022-2023 school year (2022): A pilot program of New York City’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history curriculum was launched in select schools in September 2022. The New York City Department of Education announced in May 2022 that it had developed the curriculum, titled the Hidden Voices Project, in partnership with the Museum of the City of New York. The curriculum aimed to teach students to “learn about and honor the innumerable people, often ‘hidden’ from the traditional historical record, who have shaped and continue to shape our history and identity,” according to the curriculum guide. The new curriculum was implemented throughout the city in 2024-2025 school year for all grades.

Removal of books from school libraries and curricula

The selected responses below track efforts by state lawmakers, parent groups, and others to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries and curricula, especially books addressing topics related to sex and gender. It also tracks opposition to the removal of books from public school libraries. Debates about the removal of books from school libraries generally feature arguments about the extent of parental involvement in public schools, free speech, and student awareness of different perspectives, among other topics.

Federal-level activity

The following selected responses track federal-level efforts to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries and responses to those efforts.

Litigation activity

This section tracks litigation at the federal level that seeks to remove, or opposes the removal of, certain books or materials from public school libraries.

• Florida parents sue state education department over new book removal regulations (2024): Nancy Tray, Anne Watts Tressler, and Stephana Ferrell sued the Florida Department of Education in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida on June 6, 2024, alleging that HB1069 violated their First Amendment right by providing no recourse to oppose book bans. They filed the suit after the state education department denied Ferrell the opportunity to review the decision to remove a book from school libraries. Ferrell argued that she deserved an equal part in her child’s education, and that "the state of Florida should not be able to discriminate against the voices of parents they disagree with,” according to an article in The Hill. The state education department contended that there were no banned books in the state, but that “sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for classrooms,” according to The Hill.

State-level activity

The following selected responses track state-level efforts to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries.

Executive-level activity

This section tracks state executive activity. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning efforts to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries and responses to those executive actions.

• Texas Education Board votes to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries (2023): The Texas State Board of Education voted 13-1 on December 13, 2023, to approve the state's first mandatory school library collection development standards, which barred schools from acquiring books deemed sexually explicit. Texas HB 900, passed June 13, 2023, required the State Board of Education to approve the collection standards before they could be implemented.

Legislative activity

This section tracks state legislative activity concerning efforts to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries.

• New Jersey law prohibits book bans in public and school libraries (2024): New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed Assembly Bill 3446 into law on December 9, 2024, which prohibited public and school libraries from removing books because of the origin, background, or views of the library material or those contributing to its creation, according to the text of the bill. It included protections for librarians from civil and criminal liabilities relating to the curation of library materials.

• Bill to require school district policies for handling book removal introduced in Massachusetts (2024): Massachusetts Senate Bill 2839 was introduced on July 2, 2024, which would require Massachusetts school districts to develop a policy for selecting school book materials as well as responding to attempts to remove or restrict library materials. Districts' policy for book selection must require the books to be age-appropriate; serve an educational purpose; and be based on professional training rather than personal opinions or doctrinal views. The books must also align with the parameters set by the American Library Association. The bill sets policy requirements for book removal that include notice, public hearings, and consultation with teachers. The bill was in committee as of October 2024.

• Minnesota prohibits book bans in public schools and libraries (2024): Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) signed SF3567 into law on May 17, 2024, that prohibits public libraries, including school district libraries and media centers, from banning or restricting access to books in public schools and libraries based only on the messages, ideas, or opinions they conveyed. The bill proposed creating allowances for removing books including what the bill called legitimate pedagogical concerns, practical reasons, and compliance with state or federal law, among other provisions. The bill also requires the governing bodies of a public library to establish procedures for “the selection of, challenges to, and reconsideration of [library] materials,” according to the text of the bill.

• California law prohibits book bans in schools (2023): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on September 25, 2023, signed a bill prohibiting school boards from banning curriculum, books, or instructional materials “on the basis that it contains inclusive and diverse perspectives.” The law, which took effect immediately, included penalties for school boards found violating the law.

• Texas implements bill prohibiting sexually explicit materials in school libraries (2023): Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed Texas HB 900 into law on June 13, 2023, which prohibited certain materials that the legislation defined as sexually explicit from school libraries.

• States flag model reading curriculum's race and gender content (2022): Education officials in Florida and Texas, among other Republican-led states, that had planned to adopt "Units of Study"—a model reading curriculum developed by Columbia University professor Lucy Calkins that aimed to emphasize phonics in K-2 literacy education—in the 2022-2023 school year flagged the program for contradicting state laws that aimed to ban divisive concepts from K-12 education. The publishing company, Heinemann, later announced that they would delay publication and begin editing the curriculum materials. A statement released by the publishing company in July 2022 announced that “a comprehensive editorial review of the upcoming edition of ‘Units of Study’ [was] being conducted, in strict adherence to H.M.H.’s content, equity, inclusion and diversity guidelines,” according to The New York Times. The revised curriculum was published in the fall of 2022 after changes were made to the model.

• Indiana lawmakers fail to pass bill restricting school library materials (2022): The Indiana State Senate on March 9, 2022, voted down a bill that proposed preventing students from accessing materials containing what the bill’s proponents deemed controversial topics in school libraries. Republican lawmakers amended HB 1369, a criminal justice bill authored by State Rep. Bob Morris (R), to include provisions of defeated education bills, including the school libraries provision. House members passed HB 1369 as amended by a 65-32 vote, consistent along party lines. The Senate defeated the bill by a vote of 21-29.  

Litigation activity

This section tracks litigation activity at the state level concerning efforts to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries.

• Teacher union, publishing company, and authors sue Iowa governor in response to book prohibition (2023): Publishing company Penguin Random House, authors John Green, Jodi Picoult, Malinda Lo, Laurie Halse Anderson, and the Iowa State Education Association filed a lawsuit on November 30, 2023, against Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) challenging SF 496, which required school libraries to remove books that depict sex acts. The plaintiffs argued that the law violates the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Reynolds contended that removing sexually explicit books from schools protects children. An attorney representing Penguin Random House, Dan Novack, said he believed the case would center on whether the First Amendment applies in school libraries.

Local activity

The following selected responses track local-level efforts to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries.

School district activity

This section features school board or superintendent activity at the local school district level concerning efforts to remove certain books or materials from public school libraries.

• Florida school board bans over 300 books in response to Florida law (2023): Collier County Public Schools removed 313 books from school libraries to comply with Florida HB 1069 that Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law in May 2023. A district spokesperson stated that any book that “depicts or describes sexual conduct” was banned. The list of removed books included authors Ernest Hemingway, Leo Tolstoy, George R.R. Martin, Ralph Ellison, Aldous Huxley, Jack Kerouac, among others.

• Georgia school board bans books after firing teacher (2023): The Cobby County School District, Georgia, removed two books from 20 school libraries on August 21, 2023, for “highly inappropriate, sexually explicit content,” according to the Associated Press. The decision followed the school board firing a teacher on August 17, 2023, for reading a book on gender identity to her fifth-grade class.

• New York school parents seek to remove book from school library (2022): Protestors gathered in the parking lot of the Rome City School District Office in Rome, New York, to oppose the availability of the book All Boys Aren't Blue in the library of the Rome Free Academy on February 1, 2022. The protestors argued that the book, which consisted of author George M. Johnson's autobiographical essays about growing up queer and black, was too pornographic for students. The groups Main Street Patriots, CNY Informed Oneida County, and NY Informed sponsored the protest, according to the Rome Sentinel.

Changes to language arts, reading, and writing

The selected responses below track changes to educational content standards or school curricula at the state and local levels that seek to address instructional approaches to language arts, reading, and writing. These responses generally seek to implement or oppose the science of reading curricula in public schools.

State-level activity

The selected stories below track changes to educational content standards or school curricula at the state level that seek to address instructional approaches to language arts, reading, and writing.

Executive- level activity

This section tracks state executive activity. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning language arts, reading, and writing instruction in public schools and responses to those executive actions.

• Ohio approves new K-3 reading curriculum (2024): The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce added a new reading curriculum for K-3 English language arts in April 2024 to its list of approved core curriculum and instructional materials. The department was required under state law to approve a list of language arts core curricula and instructional materials that align with the science of reading. The curriculum, titled “Being a Reader,” was developed by Collaborative Classroom—a nonprofit organization “committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another,” according to their website.

Legislative activity

This section features state legislative activity related to language arts, reading, and writing instruction in public schools.

• Connecticut enacts Right to Read Act, requiring science of reading curriculum in K-5 instruction (2023): The Connecticut House of Representatives passed Substitute HB 6620, titled the Right to Read Act, on May 10, 2021, which took effect on July 1, 2023. The bill required all state school districts to follow one of five reading curricula approved by the Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success, a board established within the state education department by section 9 of the bill. The bill mandated the required curricula reflect "phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development and reading fluency, including oral skills and reading comprehension," an approach to reading education the bill refers to as the science of reading approach. The bill mandated school districts to report their K-5 reading curricula to the Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success biannually.

• California teachers union opposes science of reading bill (2024): The California Teachers Association (CTA), the largest teachers union in the state, opposed AB 2222 in a March 28, 2024, letter, contending that the new bill would not meet the needs of English learners and would undermine teachers’ say in curriculum formation. The letter argued that California teachers were already practicing the science of reading in a way that served the needs of the diverse student population. Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice who co-sponsored the bill, said he believed CTA misunderstood the bill and that it still gives teachers flexibility in the classroom. The bill, which proposed requiring local education agencies to adhere to state-selected reading and language arts curricula, was in the Committee on Education as of May 2, 2024.

• California adds cursive to elementary school curriculum (2024): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on October 13, 2023, signed a bill into law mandating cursive writing instruction for elementary school students in first through sixth grades. Instruction on cursive handwriting was removed from the state’s standards in 2010, though some schools continued to teach it. The law took effect in January 2024.

• Minnesota enacts Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (2023): Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) on May 24, 2023, signed into law the Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act. The legislation introduced a new reading curriculum that aimed to have children in the state reading at or above grade level each year. Though Minnesota granted local school districts the authority to develop their own curriculum as of 2023, the READ Act required schools to implement the state-developed reading curriculum for K-12 instruction.

Litigation activity

This section features litigation activity at the state level related to language arts, reading, and writing instruction in public schools.

• Reading Recovery sues state of Ohio for banning their reading intervention methods in Ohio schools (2023): Reading Recovery Council of North America (RRCNA) filed a lawsuit on October 3, 2023, to block Ohio's HB 33, which is a budget bill that designated money to implement a state-wide required reading curriculum that focuses on "systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing." The bill bans teachers from relying on the "three-cue approach," which Reading Recovery said could impact the use of their interventions. RRCNA sued the state of Ohio on the grounds that the literary instruction statute is a "policy mandate disguised as a budget bill," and that it defies Ohio's one-subject rule. Ohio joins over 30 states and the District of Columbia in implementing this new curriculum, often called the "science of reading" philosophy; Ohio joins Arkansas, Louisiana, and Virginia in banning the "three-cue approach."

Local activity

This section tracks changes to educational content standards or school curricula at the local level that seek to address instructional approaches to language arts, reading, and writing.

School district activity

This section tracks school board or superintendent activity concerning instructional approaches to language arts, reading, and writing.

• Philadelphia School District introduces new language arts curriculum (2024): The Philadelphia School District in Pennsylvania introduced a new K-12 language arts curriculum for the 2024-2025 school year. The change is part of a $70 million curriculum overhaul, which also included a new math curriculum in the 2023-2024 school year. The new curriculum emphasizes skill building for kindergarten through eighth-grade students and focuses on literature for high school students.

• California school district implements science of reading curriculum (2024.): The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) implemented a phonics-based science of reading curriculum in approximately half of the district's 434 elementary schools during the 2023-2024 school year. The LAUSD superintendent announced plans to implement the science of reading curriculum at all system elementary schools before the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

Changes to sex education and gender policies and curricula

This section features selected responses from federal adjudicators, state lawmakers, local officials, and parents to sex and gender issues in public schools. These responses generally seek to address school approaches to sex education as well as school policies related to bathroom use and sports participation by transgender students. Some responses may overlap with other response topics on this page, such as critical race theory and CRT-related issues and access to instructional materials.

Federal-level activity

This section tracks activity at the federal level related to sex and gender issues in public schools.

Litigation Activity

This section tracks litigation activity at the federal level related to sex and gender issues in public schools.

• Colorado parents sue school, alleging their child's social gender transition was kept from them (2024): Colorado parents filed a lawsuit on August 7, 2024, against the state and the Brighton School District, alleging the school counselor assisted their high school freshman with what the lawsuit called a social, as opposed to medical, gender transition and did not notify the student's parents. The lawsuit argued that the action violated their 14th Amendment right under the Due Process Clause to direct and control the upbringing of their child and their First Amendment right to maintain family relationships without undue interference by the state. A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Education said that after initial review they believed the lawsuit challenged state law and district policies.
• Michigan parents sue school district, alleging child's social gender transition was kept from them (2024): Dan and Jennifer Mead sued the Rockford School District in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan on December 18, 2023, alleging that the school district policy that kept counselors from notifying them of their child's social gender transition, as opposed to medical transition, violated their 14th Amendment right under the Due Process Clause to direct the upbringing, education, and healthcare of their child. The lawsuit was ongoing as of April 2024.

State-level activity

This section features selected state-level activity related to sex and gender issues in public schools.

Executive- level activity

This section tracks state executive activity. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning sex and gender issues in public schools and responses to those executive actions.

• Florida teachers sue state over law barring use of students' preferred pronouns (2023): Three Florida educators, Katie Wood, Jane Doe, and AV Schwandes, filed a lawsuit on December 13, 2023, against the Florida State Board of Education (BOE) and the Florida Department of Education, arguing the new Florida law barring teachers from referring to students by their preferred pronouns violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law, subsection 3 of Florida Statutes § 1000.07, took effect in July 2023.

• Massachusetts State Board of Education approves new physical and sexual education curriculum guidelines (2023): The Massachusetts State Board of Education approved a new physical and sexual education curriculum framework for preschool through 12th grade, which aimed to incorporate lessons on gender and sexuality into the framework, on September 19, 2023. The state’s previous framework for sex education had been in effect since 1999. The approved guidelines were not mandatory for local school districts but served as a guideline for physical and sexual education curriculum development.

• Florida Department of Education announces that AP Psychology does not violate state law (2023): Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. sent a letter to school districts on August 9, 2023, clarifying that AP Psychology could be taught after some schools had stopped teaching the course in response to recent legislation banning classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity. The College Board released a statement on August 3, 2023, announcing that it would not accept the course if these topics were left out.

• Florida rule limits gender identity and sexual orientation instruction (2023): The Florida Board of Education on April 19, 2023, approved a rule prohibiting public school curriculum on gender identity or sexual orientation for public school students in all grades. The rule implemented a law that Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed on March 28, 2022, that prohibited instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation for kindergarten through third-grade students.

• Virginia education agency proposes new transgender student policies in public schools (2022): The Virginia Department of Education proposed new policies on September 16, 2022, that aimed to provide guidance to the state’s public schools on the Youngkin administration’s (R) preferred school approaches to transgender students. The policies proposed requiring transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their assigned sex at birth; prohibiting changes to a student's legal name and sex without official legal documentation; requiring teachers and school officials to refer to a student by the pronouns associated with their sex at birth; and allowing teachers not to use a student's preferred name if they believed doing so would violate their constitutionally protected rights.

Legislative activity

This section tracks state legislative activity related to sex and gender issues in public schools.

• Democratic lawmakers introduce bill to amend Michigan sexual education curriculum (2024): Michigan State Rep. Rachel Hood (D) on November 12, 2024, introduced a bill in the Michigan House of Representatives that would amend the state's sexual education curriculum. The state content standards require schools to provide instruction on HIV and AIDS, but leave the rest of the curriculum up to school district discretion. The proposed curriculum would still offer some discretion to individual school boards, but would require schools to teach "age-appropriate, medically accurate, and objective sex education." The bill would also remove certain curriculum restrictions on topics such as abortion.

• California bill bans the requirement for school employees to disclose information about pupils' LGBTQ+ identity (2024): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB1955, nicknamed the SAFETY Act, into law on July 15, 2024, that prohibits any local school district or public school from enacting or enforcing a policy that requires an employee to disclose any information related to a pupil's sexual orientation or gender identity. The SAFETY Act does not limit parents' ability to access their student's school.

• California bill to require schools to post sex-ed curriculum before it is taught passes state senate (2024): California SB 996, introduced by Senator Scott Wilk (R), passed the Senate Education Committee on April 17, 2024. The bill proposed requiring schools to post sex education curricula on their website before it is taught, keep it updated, and refer parents to the site if they want to review it. Wilk said the bill aimed to build trust and transparency between schools and parents, and stop controversy over sex education before it started, according to The Signal, Santa Clarita Valley.

• Tennessee governor signs bill to prohibit sex education in K-5 curriculum (2024): Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) signed SB 1210 into law on May 21, 2024, to prohibit sexual education in grades K-5, stating that “instruction in topics related to sexual activity are not age-appropriate for students.” The bill did not prohibit schools from instruction about the “detection, intervention, prevention, and treatment of child sexual abuse and human trafficking,” according to the text. The bill took effect May 21, 2024.

• Massachusetts senate passes sex education curriculum (2024): The Massachusetts State Senate passed SB 2694 on March 6, 2024, to update the state’s sex education curriculum. The bill proposed requiring “medically accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sexual health education” and includes topics of consent, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation, according to the bill's text.

• Oklahoma legislature advances bill to alter sex education curriculum (2024): The Oklahoma House General Government Committee on February 20, 2024, passed a bill aimed at changing sex education curriculum in the state and requiring parents to opt their children into the curriculum. HB 3120 proposed requiring parents to provide written consent to opt children into sex education, as opposed to allowing parents to opt children out of sex education. The bill also proposed changing sex education requirements in public schools and requiring instruction promoting abstinence, the importance of monogamous and heterosexual marriage, and the idea that “reproductive roles are binary, stable, and unchangeable,” among other topics. It also proposed prohibiting instruction on contraceptives without emphasis on potential risks, consent, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

• Indiana lawmakers advance bill to require approval of sex education instruction materials (2024): The Indiana State Senate passed a bill on February 6, 2024, that proposed requiring school board approval for sex education instructional materials before they can be used in public schools. The bill proposed requiring school districts to make information about sex education courses publicly available such as “which grade levels will receive sex ed lessons and when, whether male and female students will be taught together, and whether the class is led by a male or female instructor,” according to Chalkbeat Indiana. The bill was referred to the Indiana House Committee on Education for consideration on February 12, 2024.

• Florida law defining sex and governing pronoun use in public schools takes effect (2023): Florida HB 1069 became effective on July 1, 2023. The bill held that it was "the policy of every public K-12 educational institution that is provided or authorized by the Constitution and laws of Florida that a person's sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person's sex."

• Alaska bill proposes parental permission for sex education, approval of whole curriculum (2023): The Alaska House of Representatives on April 26, 2023, approved legislative amendments to allow parents to review a school's curriculum across all areas of instruction and remove their student from a particular course of study. HB 105 initially proposed requiring parental permission for students to participate in the school's sex education curriculum. The bill also proposed requiring “educators to notify parents of any change in a student’s mental/physical health or desire to be addressed by a different name/gender,” according to Juneau Empire.

• California legislators propose parental notification requirement for transgender students (2023): Assemblymen Bill Essayli (R) and James Gallagher (R) introduced legislation on February 16, 2023, that proposed requiring schools to notify parents within three days if their child asked to be called by a different name or different pronouns. The bill also proposed requiring parental notification if a child started using bathrooms or locker rooms designated for the opposite sex. California law, at the time of the bill's introduction, allowed children 12 and older to seek gender treatments without parental approval with the sign-off of a doctor or counselor. The bill died in committee on January 31, 2024.

• North Carolina legislature overrides governor veto of K-3 LGBTQ+ curriculum ban (2023): North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) vetoed SB 49, titled the Parents' Bill of Rights, on July 5, 2023, and both the North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House of Representatives overrode the veto on August 16, 2023. The bill proposed prohibiting curriculum on “gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality” in elementary schools, according to the text. The bill also proposed requiring parental notification before “any changes in the name or pronoun used for a student.” The initial version of the bill, titled the Parents’ Bill of Rights, proposed requiring K-12 public schools and local school boards to adopt procedures to notify parents of changes in their child’s mental or physical health. The Senate amendment proposed prohibiting the inclusion of LGBTQ curriculum in kindergarten through third grade but would not prohibit conversations about sexuality in classrooms. The bill was reintroduced as SB 49 during the 2023-2024 legislative session and passed the North Carolina State Senate on February 7, 2023. The bill took effect in the 2023-2024 school year.

• South Carolina governor signs bill barring transgender students from participating in public school and collegiate women’s sports (2022): South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed a bill into law on May 16, 2022, that proposed prohibiting transgender students from participating in women’s sports at public schools and colleges in the state. The law proposed mandating students to play on sports teams that align with the sex on their birth certificates.

• New Oklahoma law specifies bathroom use in public schools (2022): Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) on May 25, 2022, signed a bill into law that proposed requiring transgender students to use the restroom that aligns with the sex on their birth certificates. SB 615 passed the House with a vote of 69-14 and the Senate by a vote of 38-7. The law also proposed requiring schools to make a single-occupancy restroom or changing room available to students who do not feel comfortable using multiple-occupancy facilities. Parents and students under the law were encouraged to report to school officials any students they suspected of using the restroom not corresponding with the sex on their birth certificates.

• DeSantis signs bill limiting instruction on gender in sex from kindergarten to third grade (2022): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) on March 28, 2022, signed a bill that prohibited public school curriculum on gender identity or sexual orientation for kindergarten through third-grade students and lessons on these topics for older students if they are not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

• Pennsylvania lawmaker announces legislation aiming to notify parents of sexually explicit school curriculum (2022): Pennsylvania state Senator Ryan Aument (R) on March 31, 2022, announced his intent to file legislation to require schools to identify sexually explicit content in student curriculum and notify parents when such content is featured in classroom instruction. Aument issued a statement claiming that parents in his district had contacted him to express concerns about sexually explicit content in school curriculum and a lack of response to the issue from school administrators. The bill aimed to allow parents to review curriculum and classroom materials that feature sexually explicit content and to opt their children out of such coursework in favor of alternative, non-sexually explicit instruction. Aument introduced SB 1277 in the Pennsylvania State Senate, where it passed on June 29, 2022, in a 30-20 vote. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives had not voted on the bill by the end of the 2021-2022 legislative session.

Litigation activity

This section tracks litigation activity at the state level regarding sex and gender issues in public schools.

• New Jersey court rules schools cannot notify parents of change in gender identity without student consent (2025): A New Jersey appellate court blocked four school districts in the state from adopting policies requiring schools to notify parents that their students changed their name or gender identity at school. This ruling was consistent with state guidance adopted under former Governor Chris Christie (R) that advises school staff to use a student's preferred name and pronouns and advises against notifying parents of a change in their student's gender identity without the student's consent.

Local activity

This section features selected local-level responses to sex and gender issues in public schools.

School district activity

This section features school board or superintendent activity at the local level concerning sex and gender issues in public schools.

• Mead School Board asks Trump administration to clarify legal educational authority amid conflicting state and federal education directives (2025): Washington's Mead School District Board sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon (R) on March 11, 2025, asking the two cabinet members to step in and support them as they face conflicting education policy directive from the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and executive orders from President Donald Trump (R) regarding transgender student policies. OSPI deemed the district noncompliant with its transgender student policies, including restroom access and guidelines for communication with parents. The letter to Trump administration officials stated that the district policy is meant to be a compromise between the federal directives, which are more aligned with the values of the Mead School District community, and state standards. The school board expressed concern over losing funding from either the state or federal government, arguing that they can't implement both policies and stand to lose funding regardless of which policy they adopt.

• Minnesota school district allows parental opt-out from LGBTQ+ materials (2024): St. Louis Park Board of Education officials in February 2024 affirmed that state law allowed parents to opt their children out of educational materials featuring LGBTQ+ characters. The district issued the clarification in response to a letter from the First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based law firm specializing in First Amendment and religious freedom cases, representing Muslim families that requested to exempt their children from reading such materials.

• Texas district approves new sex education curriculum (2024): The Fort Worth Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a new sex education curriculum on February 27, 2024, titled "Choosing the Best," after the board suspended sex education in Fort Worth schools in January 2023. Choosing the Best's publisher contended that the curriculum was abstinence-centered and not abstinence-only, including information about contraceptives. Law required parents to opt in for their Fort Worth students to participate in sex education.

• Los Angeles Unified School District passes resolution on LGBTQ+ curriculum (2023): The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education on June 6, 2023, unanimously passed a resolution aimed at promoting curriculum on the LGBTQ+ community. The resolution encouraged LAUSD schools to “continue to take a stand in supporting our LGBTQ+ youth and ensuring that every student has the resources they need to thrive both academically and socio-emotionally as a valued member of their school community.”

• Norfolk School Board approves sex education curriculum covering gender and sexual identity (2023): The Norfolk School Board in Virginia approved a sex education curriculum on May 17, 2023, that added gender identity, sexual orientation, abortion, and other topics to the district's middle school and high school teaching materials.

• North Carolina school board approves new LGBTQ and gender identity policy (2022): The Durham Public School Board of Education in North Carolina approved a policy on December 9, 2022, regarding the district’s approach to gender identity policies. Titled “LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Allied/Asexual+) and Gender Supports Policy,” the policy stated that it seeks to “maintain a safe and supportive school environment for all students and staff.” It proposed mandating in part that an individual’s preferred name and gender be included on unofficial records and allowing students to participate on sports teams that align with their gender identity. The policy also proposed requiring principals within the district to make staff aware of what the district considered appropriate training related to LGBTQ support.

• Arkansas school board requires students to use bathroom consistent with sex at birth (2022): The school board for the Conway School District in Arkansas on October 11, 2022, unanimously approved policies regarding gender identity in public schools. One of the policies proposed requiring that students use the restroom that matches their sex at birth, though each school must provide an accommodation to any individual who does not want to comply with the policy. The other policy passed proposed mandating that students traveling on overnight trips for extracurricular activities, field trips, interscholastic activities, or intrascholastic activities be assigned to hotel rooms based on their sex at birth.

• Ohio school board passes resolution opposing state’s gender identity policy (2022): The Toledo Public School District (TPS) in Ohio unanimously passed a resolution on October 10, 2022, that rejected the Ohio State Board of Education’s (SBOE) resolution on gender identity policies in public schools. TPS Board Member Chris Varwig said the board aimed to make student based decisions and “provide equitable education for all students.”

• Richmond school board passes resolution in response to Virginia Department of Education’s transgender student policy (2022): The Richmond City School Board voted 8-1 on October 2, 2022, to approve a resolution rejecting the Virginia Department of Education’s policy on transgender students. The state policy required students to use bathrooms and pronouns that align with their sex at birth, among other provisions. The school board resolution formally rejected the new state policy and affirmed what the board viewed as its “commitment to providing protections for all students regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression,” according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The Virginia Department of Education stated in its description of its guidance that the policy aimed to establish "the rights of parents to determine how their children will be raised and educated."

• Hillsborough County School Board approves sex education curriculum for seventh, eighth, and ninth grades (2022): The Hillsborough County School Board in Florida approved a new sex education curriculum for seventh, eighth, and ninth-grade students on September 20, 2022. The curriculum aimed to provide “consistent and medically accurate information when it comes to reproductive health and disease prevention,” according to the school board. Parents who oppose the sex education curriculum could opt their children out of the lessons.

• Texas school district limits discussions of race and gender, pronoun use, and certain books (2022): The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District in Texas on August 22, 2022, approved a policy by a 4-3 vote that allowed educators to use pronouns that align with a student’s biological sex rather than their gender identity; prohibited transgender students from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity; barred teachers from including political advocacy in their curriculum and awarding students academic credit for political activism; prohibited K-5 students from engaging in classroom discussions regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, and race; permitted school board members and parents to oppose library materials; and authorized the school board to put off reconsidering banned books for at least a decade.

Litigation activity

This features litigation by or against local actors, such as local boards of education, concerning sex and gender issues in public schools.

• Parents sue Tennessee school district over curriculum's race and gender topics (2022): The parent group Parent's Choice Tennessee on July 8, 2022, filed a lawsuit in the Tennessee Twenty-First Judicial District against state education officials and Williamson County Schools for allegedly violating state laws that restricted teachings on race and gender. Tennessee law prohibited school districts from incorporating materials into the curriculum that portray the United States as racist or sexist, or that make students feel uncomfortable because of their race or sex. The parent group, which claimed the school district’s English language arts curriculum contained what the group considered to be age-inappropriate material that discussed topics of race, sought permanent removal of the curriculum. Judge Michael Binkley, who heard the case on November 10, 2022, held that the teachings in question did not constitute critical race theory. Binkley agreed with arguments that Parents' Choice Tennessee had ignored state law by filing a grievance directly with the court.

Changes to physical health, mental health, and safety policies and curricula

This section features selected activity from state lawmakers, local officials, and parents to physical health, mental health, and safety curricula in public schools.

State-level activity

This section features selected state-level activity related to physical health, mental health, and safety curricula in public schools.

Executive-level activity

This section tracks state executive activity. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning physical health, mental health, and safety curricula in public schools and responses to those executive actions.

• Maryland parents oppose state health education framework (2022): A group of Maryland parents, according to The Washington Post, expressed opposition in May to a state health education framework that outlined how educators should teach students about mental and emotional health; substance abuse prevention; family life and human sexuality; safety and violence prevention; healthy eating; and disease prevention and control. The parents argued that the standards for family life and human sexuality education are not age-appropriate and that parents should be allowed to offer input on how their children are taught certain topics.

Legislative activity

This section tracks activity at the state legislative level related to physical health, mental health, and safety curricula development in public schools.

• California governor signs bill to require curriculum on the dangers of fentanyl (2024): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB2429 on July 2, 2024. AB2429 requires districts, private schools, or charter schools that require health courses for high school graduation to add information about fentanyl, its legal and illegal uses, its addictive properties, how to detect fentanyl in other drugs, and how to identify if someone is overdosing. The curriculum will be implemented in the 2026-2027 school year.

• Tennessee governor signs firearm safety instruction bill (2024): Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) signed SB 2923 on April 23, 2024, that proposed requiring schools to teach what the bill called age- and grade-appropriate firearm safety beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The firearm safety curriculum included safe storage of firearms, school safety relating to guns, and avoiding injury from and contact with found firearms. The bill required that instruction regarding firearms must be politically neutral and avoid topics such as the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The bill prohibited firearms from being present during instruction.

• Alaska Senate passes mental health curriculum bill (2024): A bill that proposed requiring the Alaska State Board of Education to create what the bill called developmentally appropriate instruction on mental health for grades K-12 passed the state senate on March 6, 2024. SB 24 proposed encouraging, though not requiring, local districts to adopt a mental health curriculum. Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt supported SB 24, arguing it would address mental health problems their district faces. Alaska Senator Shelley Hughes opposed the bill, contending that it didn't have enough information about what topics the curriculum would include.

• Texas implements fentanyl awareness curriculum (2023): Texas launched a new fentanyl awareness curriculum in public schools as part of an anti-drug program in response to HB 3908, which Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed into law on June 17, 2023. The bill proposed requiring Texas public schools to offer a minimum of 10 hours of instruction each year on fentanyl and drug abuse prevention for grades six through 12. It also proposed requiring the state to enact a fentanyl poisoning awareness week.

Changes to computer science and artificial intelligence policies and curricula

This section features selected responses from state lawmakers, local officials, and parents to computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) policies and curricula in public schools.

Federal-level activity

This section features federal-level activity related to computer science and AI policies and curricula in public schools.

Legislative activity

This section tracks federal legislative activity related to computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) policies and curricula in public schools.

• U.S. Senators introduce bipartisan bill to bolster AI literacy in the classroom (2024): U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D) and Jerry Moran (R) introduced S.4394 on May 22, 2024, that proposed requiring the U.S. Department of Education, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to issue guidance on the introduction and use of AI technology in K-12 classrooms. Sen. Moran argued that if the U.S. wanted to “understand AI and remain globally competitive, [it] must invest in the future workforce today,” according to a press release, and that S. 4394, titled the NSF AI Education Act of 2024, “takes an all-of-the-above approach” to doing that.

State-level activity

This section features selected state-level activity related to computer science and AI policies and curricula in public schools.

Executive-level activity

This section tracks state executive activity. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning computer science and AI policies and curricula in public schools and responses to those executive actions.

• Wyoming Ed Department issues AI guidance (2024): The Wyoming Department of Education issued guidance to encourage local school districts to adopt AI use policies on July 15, 2024. The guidance, issued by Superintendent of Education Megan Degenfelder (R), encouraged school districts to adopt policies surrounding AI that help schools realize community goals while mitigating what the guidance called the risks of AI use. The guidance contended that the "key areas of technology policy to ensure compliance with are privacy, data security, student safety, data transfer and ownership, and child and youth protection." The purpose of AI use in schools is "to serve existing goals, such as promoting student and staff well-being, enriching student learning experiences, and enhancing administrative functions," according to the text of the guidance.

• The Nevada Department of Education develops AI policy (2024): The Nevada Department of Education held a series of town hall meetings during March and May 2024 to receive input for what the department described as an ethical statement on AI for K-12 instruction. Jhone Ebert, the Nevada superintendent of public instruction, stated, “[t]his set of policies will provide the guardrails that guide how AI is treated within schools across our state.” The new policy was expected by late June.

• North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) releases guidebook for classroom AI use (2024): NCDPI released a guidebook on AI use in public school classrooms on January 16, 2024, that recommended AI be "infused into all grade levels and all curriculum areas," according to the guidebook. The guidebook argued that responsible AI use could help students be more competitive in the job market. As of the time of the guidebook’s publication, NCDPI was one of four state education departments to release guidance for classroom AI use, according to the guidebook.

Legislative activity

This section tracks state legislative activity related to computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) policies and curricula in public schools.

• California governor signs bill requiring AI literacy in K-12 curriculum (2024): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law on September 29, 2024, to require public schools to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) literacy into K-12 curriculum. The bill directs California's Instructional Quality Commission to incorporate AI literacy into the state's math, science, and history curriculum.

• Computer science course requirement bill passes Michigan House (2024): HB 5649, which would require public high schools to offer computer science courses, passed the Michigan House of Representatives on June 18, 2024. The bill defined computer science as the "study of computers and algorithmic processes, including, but not limited to, their principles, hardware and software designs, implementation, and impact on society, and is a study that focuses on teaching students how to create new technologies and not solely the use of technology."

• Governor Newsom signs bill requiring media literacy curriculum (2023): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on October 13, 2023, signed a bill into law that proposed requiring schools to incorporate media literacy into K-12 curriculum. The state’s Instructional Quality Commission issued curriculum frameworks in 2024 to guide schools in incorporating media literacy instruction into their curriculum. California joined Delaware, New Jersey, and Texas in incorporating media literacy into K-12 curriculum.

• New Jersey governor signs bill requiring media literacy (2023): Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed a bill on January 4, 2023, that proposed requiring K-12 instruction on information literacy, the first state to do so. SB 588 proposed mandating the New Jersey Department of Education to develop Student Learning Standards in “information literacy.” Murphy stated, “Our democracy remains under sustained attack through the proliferation of disinformation that is eroding the role of truth in our political and civic discourse.” The law became effective immediately.

Local activity

The following selected responses track local-level activity related to computer science and AI policies and curricula in schools.

School district activity

This section features school board or superintendent activity at the local school district level related to computer science and AI policies and curricula in schools.

• Florida high school launches AI-focused curriculum (2024): Citizens High School in Florida announced on July 16, 2024, that it would implement an AI-focused curriculum. The accredited online high school noted in a press release that the new curriculum "is aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into the core of its educational framework, ensuring that students are equipped with essential skills for the modern job market." Every course will include AI-focused assignments to familiarize students with it and "enhance their ability to harness its potential in various academic and real-world scenarios."

Changes to science and environmental studies

The selected responses in this section feature efforts by state and local officials to address environmental and climate science curricula in public schools. These efforts may seek to advance or limit classroom instruction on climate change and related topics.

State-level activity

The selected responses below feature state-level efforts to address environmental and climate science curricula in public schools.

Executive-level activity

This section tracks state executive activity. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning environmental and climate science curricula in public schools and responses to those executive actions.

• Texas State Board of Education withheld approval of science textbooks with climate change lessons (2023): The Texas State Board of Education voted on November 17, 2023, along party lines to withhold approval of several science textbooks that taught lessons on climate change. The board members who voted against the textbook argued that they unfairly assumed fossil fuels caused climate change and blamed oil and gas companies. Board member Aicha Davis (D) argued that the board's decision was not objective and sought to protect oil and gas interests. Some textbooks discussing climate change were approved on the condition that "changes be made to the content regarding topics that included energy, fossil fuels, and evolution," according to KXAN Austin.

• New Jersey incorporates climate education into K-12 curriculum standards for public schools (2022): New Jersey became the first state to incorporate what the state called climate change education into K-12 curriculum standards at the start of the 2022-2023 school year. The State Board of Education first announced that they would adopt the new curriculum standards in June 2020 after New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy proposed the curriculum changes. The updated standards aimed “to prepare students to understand how and why climate change happens and the impact it has on our local and global communities as well as to act in informed and sustainable ways,” according to a press release.

Legislative activity

This section covers state legislative activity related to science or environmental studies curricula in public schools.

• Illinois bill mandating climate change curriculum passes both chambers (2024): Illinois HB 4895, which proposed requiring climate change education, passed the Illinois Senate on May 23, 2024, after it passed the Illinois House of Representatives in April 2024. The bill proposed requiring Illinois schools to provide instruction “identifying the environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on individuals and communities, and evaluating solutions for addressing and mitigating the impact of climate change” starting in the 2026-2027 school year, according to the text of the bill.

• West Virginia State Senate passes bill requiring fetal development video in curriculum (2024): The West Virginia State Senate passed SB 468, which proposed requiring public schools to show a video about fetal development produced by Live Action—an organization that opposes abortion—to eighth and tenth graders, in a 27-6 vote on February 27, 2024. The video showed the fetal development process using animation to highlight the growth of vital organs and capabilities of the fetus at various gestational stages. The bill advanced to the West Virginia House of Delegates for consideration.

Local activity

This section features activity at the local school district level, either by or in relation to local school boards, concerning environmental and climate science curricula in public schools.

School district activity

This section features school board or superintendent activity at the local level concerning environmental and climate science curricula in public schools.

• New York City introduces urban farming curriculum (2023): New York Sun Works opened 60 new urban farms in New York City schools at the start of the 2023-2024 school year. The nonprofit partnered with schools in an effort to promote STEM learning and what Executive Director Manuela Zamora referred to as “the importance of bringing sustainability, science and climate education into our everyday life,” according to CBS News. New York City schools equipped with labs also used the organization’s Greenhouse Project curriculum to teach students about the environment through sustainable urban farming practices.

Changes to math content and standards

The selected responses below track changes to educational content standards or school curricula at the state and local levels that seek to address instructional approaches to math content and standards.

State-level activity

The following selected stories feature state-level activity related to math content and standards in public schools.

Executive activity

This section tracks state executive activity. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning instructional approaches to math content and standards and responses to those executive actions.

• Florida Department of Education rejects 41% of K-12 mathematics textbooks (2022): The Florida Department of Education on April 15, 2022, announced that it had rejected 54 K-12 mathematics textbooks due in part to the inclusion of prohibited instructional topics and the failure to align with state education standards. The rejected textbooks made up 41% of the 132 textbooks submitted to the education department for review. Twenty-eight books were rejected for the inclusion of prohibited topics, such as critical race theory, Common Core learning concepts, or Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Twelve books were rejected because they did not align with Florida’s Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards. An additional 14 books were rejected for both including prohibited topics and failing to meet the state’s benchmark standards.

Changes to graduation requirements

This section tracks changes to graduation requirements at the state level.

State-level activity

This section tracks state-level responses to shifts in graduation requirements.

Executive-level activity

This section tracks state executive activity. It includes state department or board of education, superintendent, and gubernatorial actions concerning shifts in public school graduation requirements and responses to those executive actions.

• Indiana State Board of Education proposes changes to graduation requirements (2023): The Indiana State Board of Education met on September 13, 2023, to discuss proposed changes to the state’s high school curriculum and graduation requirements. The board proposed developing a new education model instead of following the Carnegie unit, which measured coursework in credit hours and is used by schools throughout the United States. The board also proposed incorporating workforce training and skills development into state graduation requirements.

Legislative activity

This section tracks state legislative activity related to shifts in public education graduation requirements.

• California adopts personal finance curriculum requirements (2024): California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB2927 into law on June 29, 2024, that requires California high schools to implement personal finance curriculum courses by 2027, to be required for graduation starting in 2031. The bill garnered bipartisan support.

• California nonprofit files ballot measure aimed at requiring financial literacy curriculum (2024): Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit organization, filed an initiative to place a ballot measure on the state’s November 2024 ballot aimed at requiring high school students to complete one semester of a personal finance course to graduate. The ballot measure, titled California Require Personal Finance Course for High School Graduation Initiative (2024), qualified for the ballot as an initiated state statute. The measure proposed requiring public schools to offer a personal finance course by the 2026-2027 school year.

Increases in access to instructional materials

The selected news events below track efforts by state lawmakers, local officials, and others to address parental access to educational materials used in the classroom, often through online portals. Debates about the availability of classroom materials generally feature arguments about the extent of parental involvement in public schools.

State-level activity

The following selected responses track state-level efforts to address parental access to educational materials used in the classroom.

Legislative activity

This section tracks state legislative activity related to parental access to educational materials used in the classroom.

• Alabama governor signs bill to require teachers to publish curriculum (2024): Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed SB 48 into law on March 21, 2024. The bill proposed requiring teachers to post curriculum to their school's website before the school year begins or no later than 30 days after a new curriculum is adopted. It also provided a complaint process if a teacher doesn't reply to a parent's request for curriculum information. The bill's sponsor, State Senator Greg Reed (R), contended the bill promoted transparency between teachers and parents. Reggie White, the 2022 Alabama teacher of the year, argued the bill doesn't address the more prominent concerns parents have regarding their children's education, such as achievement or truancy. The law took effect on June 1, 2024.

• California Senate introduces bill requiring school districts to disclose sexual education curriculum materials (2024): The California State Senate on January 31, 2024, introduced California SB 996, which proposed requiring all public and charter school districts to make available the education materials used in sexual health education and HIV prevention education. Earlier versions of the bill were introduced in 2019 and 2021 but failed to progress beyond committee stages.

• New Hampshire lawmakers consider parental involvement in sexual education bill (2024): New Hampshire lawmakers and members of the public discussed proposed sex education legislation during a hearing on January 31, 2024, relating to HB 1185, which proposed requiring parental consent for public school sexual education and the provision of sexual education materials at the start of each academic year. In addition, the bill proposed prohibiting teaching sexual lifestyles, defined as being heterosexual, homosexual, transsexual, asexual, celibate, or gender fluid, in sex education curricula.

• Wisconsin Assembly passes legislation that facilitates parental access to educational materials (2024): The Wisconsin State Assembly on January 18, 2024, passed AB 510, which proposed establishing 16 specific rights for parents relating to their child's religion, medical care, and education. Educational aspects of the bill encompassed the right to select the child's school, determine their school-related identity, review educational materials, receive timely notification of potentially sensitive subjects, and be informed about controversial topics, including those pertaining to gender, race, and sexuality. The bill failed to pass over Governor Tony Evers (D)'s March 29, 2024, veto.

• Wisconsin bill proposes making curriculum publicly available (2023): Republican lawmakers introduced a bill in the Wisconsin State Legislature on November 8, 2023, in an effort to require school districts to make curriculum publicly available to parents and school district residents. AB 638 proposed allowing any Wisconsin resident within a school district’s limits to review curricula. It also proposed requiring schools to adhere to a 14-day timeline for releasing instructional materials upon request. State Senator Daniel Knodl (R), a co-sponsor of the bill, argued that it would create transparency in education in the state. A public hearing on the bill was held on January 4, 2024. The bill failed the state senate on April 15, 2024.

• Pennsylvania State Senate passes bill requiring online curriculum availability (2023): The Pennsylvania State Senate passed SB 340 on October 25, 2023, with a vote of 28-22, which proposed requiring online availability of public school curricula and requiring schools to post updates online within 30 days of altering any textbooks, instructional materials, or state content standards. Following the vote, the bill moved to the state House of Representatives for consideration.

• Oklahoma bill proposes online access to curriculum materials (2023): Oklahoma State Rep. Chad Caldwell (R) introduced HB 2077 on February 6, 2023, which proposed creating an online portal where citizens could access and review public school textbooks, library books, and other related content. A House committee declined to advance the bill on March 2, 2023.

• Minnesota lawmakers advance parental education bills (2022): The Minnesota State Senate in March 2022 passed three education bills promoted by Republican state senators that sought to increase parental access to instructional materials in public schools and limit the disclosure of home addresses for parents who testify at school board meetings, among other provisions. The Minnesota House of Representatives did not vote on the bills by the end of the 2021-2022 legislative session.

• State legislators propose making classroom materials available online (2022): Lawmakers in at least a dozen states as of February 2022 had introduced legislation that proposed requiring schools to provide online access to information about classroom teaching materials, such as books, articles, and videos. A coalition of think tanks, including the Manhattan Institute and the Goldwater Institute, urged state legislators in 2020 to enact laws that provide online access to the instructional materials used in public schools, according to NBC News. Christopher Rufo, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, contended that the “strategy here is to use a non-threatening, liberal value — ‘transparency’ — to force ideological actors to undergo public scrutiny." Missouri State Representative Maggie Nurrenbern (D), opposed the laws, arguing that they aimed to subvert public education and would put a damper on free speech. Nurrenbern contended that the proposed Missouri law was a "tool to censor anything controversial.”

Litigation activity

This section tracks state-level litigation activity related to parental access to instruction material.

• Michigan Supreme Court upholds decision that parents cannot request curricula held by teachers under FOIA (2024): The Michigan Supreme Court denied a parent's appeal on September 25, 2024, after the Michigan Court of Appeals held that Michigan parents could not request some school curricula under public record acts. The ruling decided that only records possessed by a public body itself, and not its employees, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Local activity

The following selected responses track local-level efforts to address parental access to educational materials used in the classroom.

School district activity

This section tracks school board activity related to parental access to educational materials used in the classroom.

• California school district requires teachers to publish curriculum for parental review (2024): California's Lakeside Union School District approved a Parents' Bill of Rights on May 9, 2024, that requires teachers to post curriculum for parents to review. The Parents' Bill of Rights also allows parents to opt their children out of courses they deem inappropriate, including sex education, and to review library materials. The Parents' Bill of Rights took effect in August 2024 with the start of the 2024-2025 school year and includes parental notification requirements that conflict with provisions in California AB 1955, titled the SAFETY Act, that prohibit school employees from disclosing pupils' sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression without the pupil's consent.

See also

• Public education in the United States
• Higher education in the United States
• Education policy in the United States
• K-12 education content standards in the states
• K-12 curriculum authority, requirements, and statutes in the states

External links

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