Bill > SB855

This bill requires the State Board of Education to create a work group called the "Humanity Education Curriculum Framework Work Group" to develop a curriculum framework for students in grades six to twelve focusing on the dehumanization of marginalized groups in Missouri. The curriculum will cover topics such as historical dehumanization practices, warning signs of potential future dehumanization, intervention strategies, and the specific stories of marginalized groups including African Americans, immigrant Americans, Native American tribes, and victims of exploitation. The bill mandates a pilot program in the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years, involving up to 25 school districts, and includes a professional development program for teachers called the "Celia Professional Development Program" named after Celia, an enslaved woman who was sexually abused and executed in Missouri in 1855 for defending herself. The curriculum will be aligned with existing awareness weeks and months, such as Black History Month and Immigrant Heritage Month, and will incorporate age-appropriate resources like nonfiction books, primary sources, and oral testimonies. After the pilot program, the Department of Education will evaluate its success and report to legislative education committees, with the goal of making the curriculum framework and professional development program available to all school districts and charter schools statewide beginning in the 2029-30 school year.

Education

https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=271