HB 2395 / SB 1953

HB2395 requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to approve at least one civics instructional video by July 1, 2027, and then requires every local education agency (LEA) and public charter school in Tennessee to show that approved video at least once to students in grades 6–8 and at least once to students in grades 9–12 as part of the social studies curriculum beginning in the 2027–2028 school year. The bill specifies that the approved video must be historically accurate, “devoid of political advocacy,” include material on the Declaration of Independence (specifically the preamble), and address the religious affiliations and moral beliefs of the Founding Fathers involved with the Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention.

In practice this is a narrow, statewide curriculum mandate: the SBE centrally approves a resource and every public school is required to present it at least once to middle- and high-school students. From a conservative perspective there are two clear virtues — it promotes basic civic literacy and affirms the historical role of religion and moral beliefs in the founding era — but there are also structural concerns about state-directed curriculum content and the precedent of mandating state-approved materials across all LEAs.