King’s bill adding online safety to school curriculum

The text as introduced · 529 words

89R5738 KRM-F

By: King
S.B. No. 1298

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to instruction in online safety for minors provided in

public schools and by the Department of Public Safety.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by

amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c-6) to read as

follows:

(a) Each school district that offers kindergarten through

grade 12 shall offer, as a required curriculum:

(1) a foundation curriculum that includes:

(A) English language arts;

(B) mathematics;

(C) science; and

(D) social studies, consisting of Texas, United

States, and world history, government, economics, with emphasis on

the free enterprise system and its benefits, and geography; and

(2) an enrichment curriculum that includes:

(A) to the extent possible, languages other than

English;

(B) health, with emphasis on:

(i) physical health, including the

importance of proper nutrition and exercise;

(ii) mental health, including instruction

about mental health conditions, substance abuse, skills to manage

emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and

responsible decision-making; and

(iii) suicide prevention, including

recognizing suicide-related risk factors and warning signs;

(C) physical education;

(D) fine arts;

(E) career and technology education;

(F) technology applications;

(G) religious literature, including the Hebrew

Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on

history and literature; [ and ]

(H) personal financial literacy ; and

(I) online safety, including instruction about

the potential dangers of using Internet websites, social media

applications, and applications that use artificial intelligence .

(c-6) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the

online safety curriculum required under Subsection (a)(2)(I), the

State Board of Education shall adopt essential knowledge and skills

that develop each student's understanding of:

(1) sharing information on social media;

(2) maintaining personal security;

(3) preventing oversharing of personal information;

(4) identifying cyberbullying, predatory behavior,

and human trafficking on the Internet;

(5) the permanence of information shared online;

(6) how to report suspicious activity encountered on

the Internet to appropriate authorities; and

(7) the topics described by Sections 37.218(b)(1),

(2), and (3).

SECTION 2. Section 411.045(b), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(b) The bureau of training shall:

(1) establish and operate schools for training

department personnel in their duties and functions;

(2) establish and operate schools for training county

and municipal police officers who are selected to attend the

schools by the authorities of the law enforcement agencies that

employ them; and

(3) establish and carry out a comprehensive plan for

the education of citizens of this state in matters of public safety

and crime prevention and detection , including the education of

citizens under the age of 18 concerning online safety when using

Internet websites, social media applications, and applications

that use artificial intelligence .

SECTION 3. Section 28.002, Education Code, as amended by

this Act, applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.