Current law directs local boards of education to require the teaching of the nation’s founding and related documents during the high school years and specifies that the instruction is to include the major principles in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and its amendments, and the most important of the Federalist Papers. Amends GS 115C-81(g) to direct local boards of education to require high schools to teach either a semester course or a full-year course that focuses on the following: (1) the philosophical foundations of our form of government and (2) the principles underlying the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the writings of the Founders, which are the principles of government for a free people and are known as the “Founders Principles.” Makes a conforming change to require that local boards of education include receiving a passing grade in either the semester course or full-year course on the Founders’ Principles as a graduation requirement. Directs the State Board of Education to require any high school level curriculum-based test developed and administered statewide beginning with the 2012-13 academic year include questions related to the Founders’ Principles. Requires the State Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and local school boards to provide or cause to be provided curriculum content and teacher training for the semester course or the full-year course on the Founders Principles.
Directs DPI to submit a biennial report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and to the chairs of the education committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives that covers the implementation of GS 115C-81(g) and the statewide test results from the curriculum-based tests administered on the Founders’ Principles curriculum.
Applies beginning with the 2012-13 school year.