Bill > HB0381

This bill amends Utah's education requirements to enhance civic education and graduation standards. It increases the social studies graduation requirement to 3.5 units, with at least 1.0 unit focused on American constitutional government and citizenship. The bill introduces a detailed new course on American constitutional government that will require students to study founding principles, examine the U.S. Constitution's structure and amendments, and engage with primary source documents like the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and speeches by significant historical figures such as Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Students can earn up to 0.5 units of this requirement through courses or activities emphasizing verbal communication with a significant civic education component, or through participation in Junior ROTC. The bill also modifies previous requirements around civics testing, removing the mandatory basic civics test for high school students but maintaining it for adult education program participants. Additionally, the bill extends the deadline for local educational agencies to select ethnic studies curriculum from 2025 to 2027 and requires collaboration with the Civic Thought and Leadership Initiative at Utah Valley University in developing these new constitutional government course standards. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Education

https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0381.html