HB 227 — An Act prohibiting public school entities from engaging in certain communications and actions involving prohibited indoctrination; and providing for requirements for public contractors and for enforcement.

PRINTER'S NO.   180

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 227
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY GLEIM, HAMM, LEADBETER, GREINER, KAUFFMAN,
        M. BROWN, GROVE, SMITH AND ZIMMERMAN, JANUARY 22, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 22, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Prohibiting public school entities from engaging in certain
 2      communications and actions involving prohibited
 3      indoctrination; and providing for requirements for public
 4      contractors and for enforcement.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7   Section 1.   Short title.
 8      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Honesty in
 9   Teaching Act.
10   Section 2.   Definitions.
11      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
12   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
13   context clearly indicates otherwise:
14      "Contractor."    An individual, organization, corporation or
15   business that enters into a contract, or a subcontract pursuant
16   to a contract, with a public school entity.
17      "Department."    The Department of Education of the
18   Commonwealth.
19      "Professional employee."    As the term "professional employe"
 1   is defined in section 1101(1) of the act of March 10, 1949
 2   (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949.
 3      "Public school entity."     A school district, intermediate
 4   unit, area career and technical school, charter school, cyber
 5   charter school or regional charter school.
 6   Section 3.     Communication and actions by public school entities.
 7      (a)   Prohibited indoctrination.--A communication by a public
 8   school entity, an official representative thereof, professional
 9   employee or guest speaker may not compel a person to adopt,
10   affirm, adhere to or profess an idea in violation of Title IV or
11   Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78
12   Stat. 241), including that:
13            (1)   People of one age, sex, gender identity, sexual
14      orientation, race, creed, color, marital status, familial
15      status, mental or physical disability, religion or national
16      origin are inherently superior or inferior to people of
17      another age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race,
18      creed, color, marital status, familial status, mental or
19      physical disability, religion or national origin.
20            (2)   An individual should be discriminated against or
21      receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of the
22      individual's age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation,
23      race, creed, color, marital status, familial status, mental
24      or physical disability, religion or national origin.
25            (3)   People of one age, sex, gender identity, sexual
26      orientation, race, creed, color, marital status, familial
27      status, mental or physical disability, religion or national
28      origin, cannot and should not attempt to treat others equally
29      and without regard to age, sex, gender identity, sexual
30      orientation, race, creed, color, marital status, familial

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 1      status, mental or physical disability, religion or national
 2      origin.
 3      (b)   Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
 4   construed to prohibit the discussion of:
 5            (1)   ideas and history of the concepts described in
 6      subsection (a); or
 7            (2)   public policy issues of the day or ideas that
 8      individuals may find unwelcome, disagreeable or offensive.
 9      (c)   Penalty prohibited.--A public school entity,
10   professional employee, contractor or student in a public school
11   entity may not be subject to a penalty or adverse treatment due
12   to a refusal to engage in prohibited indoctrination under
13   subsection (a).
14      (d)   Use of funds prohibited.--A public school entity may not
15   use funds from any source to engage in prohibited indoctrination
16   under subsection (a).
17      (e)   Teacher training.--The department shall develop and make
18   available to professional employees technical assistance,
19   guidance and professional development in accordance with the
20   following principles:
21            (1)   For education to create citizens capable of self-
22      government, students need to engage with a variety of
23      viewpoints on challenging issues, led by a professional
24      employee who understands that there is greater value in
25      promoting independent thinking than in advancing the
26      professional employee's own beliefs.
27            (2)   A professional employee should be prepared to engage
28      students in academic discussions about all topics, so long as
29      the professional employee imparts vital knowledge and skills
30      without imposing the professional employee's own beliefs.

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 1            (3)   A professional employee should be prepared to
 2      address challenging issues in the classroom, not avoid them.
 3            (4)   A professional employee should be prepared to help
 4      students become discerning consumers of information, to
 5      evaluate and analyze information, to question and verify the
 6      credibility of the information's source and to make the
 7      professional employee's own reasoned judgments supported by
 8      evidence.
 9   Section 4.     Requirements for public contractors.
10      (a)   Statement in contract.--A contract entered into by a
11   public school entity with a contractor after the effective date
12   of this section shall include the following statement:
13            "During the performance of this contract, the contractor
14            may not engage in workplace training of a professional
15            employee that includes prohibited indoctrination as
16            stated in the Honesty in Teaching Act."
17      (b)   Statement in subcontracts.--A contractor shall include
18   in a subcontract the statement under subsection (a) as a
19   contractual duty imposed on the subcontractor.
20   Section 5.     Enforcement.
21      (a)   Complaints and investigations.--
22            (1)   A parent, student, professional employee or other
23      person interacting with a public school entity may file a
24      complaint with the governing board of a public school entity
25      alleging a violation of section 3 by a professional employee
26      or contractor. A complaint filed under this section is
27      subject to the penalties enumerated in 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904
28      (relating to unsworn falsification to authorities).
29            (2)   A public school entity shall develop a policy on
30      filing a complaint under paragraph (1). The policy shall be

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 1    made available on the public school entity's publicly
 2    accessible Internet website.
 3          (3)   Upon receipt of a complaint, the governing board of
 4    a public school entity shall provide written notice to the
 5    professional employee or contractor detailing the complaint
 6    and stating the time and place for a hearing. The hearing
 7    shall be held no earlier than 15 days and not later than 30
 8    days from the receipt of the complaint. Proceedings under
 9    this section shall be held in accordance with 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 5
10    Subch. B (relating to practice and procedure of local
11    agencies).
12          (4)   A written notice of decision of the governing board
13    of a public school entity shall be sent by registered mail to
14    the professional employee or contractor and the complainant
15    within 10 days after the hearing is concluded.
16          (5)   If the complainant, professional employee or
17    contractor disagrees with the findings of the governing board
18    of the public school entity, an appeal may be filed with the
19    Secretary of Education, within 15 days after receipt by
20    registered mail of the written notice of the decision of the
21    governing board of a public school entity. The appeal shall
22    be governed by 2 Pa.C.S. (relating to administrative law and
23    procedure). The Secretary of Education shall issue a final
24    ruling with detailed support for the conclusion within 60
25    days of receipt of the appeal.
26          (6)   The ruling or decision of the Secretary of Education
27    shall be final unless an appeal is taken in accordance with 2
28    Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 (relating to judicial review).
29    (b)   Penalty.--
30          (1)   If a violation of section 3 by a professional

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 1      employee is established, the public school entity and any
 2      involved professional employee, shall engage in professional
 3      development in compliance with this section. The families of
 4      students impacted by the violation shall receive notice and a
 5      copy of the decision and action to be taken, which notice
 6      shall be provided by registered mail. The public school
 7      entity shall report the violation to the department through
 8      the Pennsylvania Information Management System.
 9          (2)   If a violation is established involving a
10      contractor, the contract may be canceled, terminated or
11      suspended, in whole or in part, and the contractor may be
12      declared ineligible for further government contracts for a
13      period of one year. The families of students impacted by the
14      violation shall receive notice and a copy of the decision and
15      actions to be taken, which notice shall be provided by
16      registered mail.
17   Section 6.   Effective date.
18      This act shall take effect immediately.




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