Bill > HB3241

This bill, known as the Teaching Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Virtue, and Excellence (THRIVE) Act, mandates that the State Department of Education develop and implement a character education curriculum for all grades, from prekindergarten through twelfth grade, focusing on specific character traits and personal skills. These exclusively listed traits include trustworthiness, responsibility, care for family, kindness, respect for life and authority, patriotism, respect for religious faith, lifelong marriage, gratitude, charity, and courage, along with instruction on the value of finishing high school, working full-time, and getting married before having children. The bill requires the Department to provide resources and an approved list of curricula to public and charter schools by the start of the 2026-2027 school year, and prohibits the inclusion of any materials that contradict these mandated traits. School districts must establish a process for public notification, material inspection, and allow parents to opt their children out of these courses, with participation termination possible at any time. Furthermore, the Department will report on school district compliance annually, starting in the 2027-2028 school year, and both the Department and schools are permitted to accept funds for implementation. The bill also allows schools to provide premises for voluntary after-school programs that instruct students on the justifications for this curriculum, provided these programs are consistent with the stated purpose and subject matter. This act will take effect on July 1, 2026, with an emergency clause for immediate implementation.