Bill > HB795

This bill amends the Public School Code of 1949 to require high schools to expand their social studies curriculum, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, to include specific instruction about authoritarian regimes and their impacts. The new requirements mandate that students learn about historical leaders including Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Lenin, Pol Pot, and Nicolas Maduro, with a focus on understanding how these regimes caused suffering through poverty, starvation, migration, violence, and suppression of speech. The bill requires the State Board of Education to create regulations implementing these new curriculum guidelines by April 1, 2026, and builds upon existing requirements for social studies instruction that already emphasize teaching about American government, constitutional principles, and civic participation. The goal appears to be providing students with a comprehensive understanding of different political systems and the human costs of authoritarian governance, with an implied intent of promoting appreciation for democratic principles by contrasting them with oppressive political systems. The bill will take effect 60 days after its passage, and any existing regulations inconsistent with its provisions will be abrogated.

Education

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=795