AB464 - Revises provisions governing education. (BDR 34-235)

(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 21, 2025) FIRST REPRINT A.B. 464 - *AB464_R1* ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 464–ASSEMBLYMEMBER MILLER MARCH 17, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions governing education. (BDR 34-235) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: May have Fiscal Impact. Effect on the State: Yes. ~ EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. AN ACT relating to governmental administration; revising requirements relating to the standards of content and performance for certain courses; prohibiting the State Board of Education from taking certain actions relating to certain courses of study; prohibiting certain persons and entities from refusing to enforce or taking certain other actions with respect to certain courses of study and standards of content and performance; prohibiting the governing body of certain governmental entities or certain public employees in direct supervisory roles from taking adverse employment actions against certain employees based on certain characteristics or activities; prohibiting certain actions against such employees based on certain characteristics and activities or the performance of certain duties; providing penalties; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law requires the Council to Establish Academic Standards for Public 1 Schools to establish standards of content and performance for certain courses of 2 study, including: (1) English language arts; (2) science; (3) social studies, which 3 includes only the subjects of history, geography, economics, civics, financial 4 literacy and multicultural education; (4) the arts; and (5) health. Existing law 5 requires the Council to forward the standards of content and performance to the 6 State Board of Education for adoption by the State Board. (NRS 389.520) Existing 7 law requires the State Board to prescribe and cause to be enforced the courses of 8 study for all public schools in this State, which must comply with the standards 9 of content and performance established by the Council. (NRS 385.114) Section 1 10 of this bill prohibits the State Board from repealing, abrogating or refusing to 11 – 2 – - *AB464_R1* enforce any course of study or any part of a course of study relating to certain 12 topics, such as genocides and other atrocities experienced by people from various 13 racial and ethnic backgrounds and the history of different ethnicities and cultures, 14 which were established by the State Board and in existence as of the effective date 15 of this bill. Similarly, section 1.7 of this bill prohibits the Council from repealing, 16 abrogating, reducing the priority assigned to or otherwise revising to substantially 17 weaken any standard of content and performance relating to certain topics which 18 were established by the Council, adopted by the State Board and in existence on the 19 effective date of this bill. 20 Existing law requires the boards of trustees of school districts to enforce in 21 schools: (1) the standards of content and performance established by the Council; 22 and (2) the courses of study prescribed by the State Board. (NRS 389.003) Existing 23 law also requires each teacher in a public school to enforce the courses of study 24 prescribed by law. (NRS 391.260) Section 1.3 of this bill prohibits the board of 25 trustees of a school district, the governing body of a charter school or university for 26 profoundly gifted pupils, in certain circumstances, and a principal or administrator 27 of a public school from prohibiting the offering or teaching of or refusing to 28 enforce a course of study established by the State Board or standards of content and 29 performance established by the Council if that course or standard existed on the 30 effective date of this bill and relates to certain topics. Section 1.3 also prohibits a 31 teacher at a public school from refusing to teach or enforce a course of study or any 32 material that complies with a standard of content and performance if the teacher 33 would have been required to teach or enforce the course or standard as of the 34 effective date of this bill and the course or standard existed as of the effective date 35 of this bill and relates to certain topics. 36 Section 2 of this bill prohibits the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of 37 Higher Education, the governing body of a school district, county or city, a member 38 of such a governing body or a person with direct supervisory authority over an 39 administrator or teacher or certain other public employees from taking any adverse 40 employment action against an administrator, teacher or certain other public 41 employees based on certain characteristics or activities of the employee, including, 42 without limitation, his or her political, religious or social affiliation or independent 43 political, religious or social participation. Section 2 provides that a member of the 44 Board of Regents or governing body who takes such a prohibited adverse 45 employment action is guilty of a misdemeanor. Section 2 also requires the 46 governmental entity to terminate a direct supervisory employee who takes such a 47 prohibited adverse employment action in violation of section 2. 48 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. NRS 385.114 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1 385.114 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsections 2 and 2 3, the State Board shall prescribe and cause to be enforced the 3 courses of study for the public schools of this State. The courses of 4 study prescribed and enforced by the State Board must comply with 5 the standards of content and performance established by the Council 6 to Establish Academic Standards for Public Schools pursuant to 7 NRS 389.520. 8 2. For those courses of study prescribed by the State Board: 9 – 3 – - *AB464_R1* (a) High schools may have modified courses of study, subject to 1 the approval of the State Board; and 2 (b) Any high school offering courses normally accredited as 3 being beyond the level of the 12th grade shall, before offering such 4 courses, have them approved by the State Board. 5 3. A charter school is not required to offer the courses of study 6 prescribed by the State Board except for those courses of study 7 which are required for promotion to the next grade or graduation 8 from high school. 9 4. The State Board shall not repeal, abrogate or refuse to 10 enforce any course of study or any unit of a course of study which 11 was prescribed by the State Board and in existence on the effective 12 date of this act and which relates to: 13 (a) The history of genocides and other atrocities experienced 14 by people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds; 15 (b) The history, language and art of different ethnicities, 16 countries, communities and cultures; 17 (c) National and global current events; 18 (d) The origin, history and essentials of The United States 19 Constitution; 20 (e) Civic engagement; 21 (f) Socialization, communication and sensitivity to other 22 persons, groups and communities; and 23 (g) The physical and emotional development of persons, 24 including, without limitation, the development of the human 25 reproductive system. 26 Sec. 1.3. Chapter 389 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 27 thereto a new section to read as follows: 28 1. The board of trustees of a school district shall not prohibit, 29 take action to prevent the offering of or refuse to enforce any 30 course of study prescribed and adopted by the State Board or any 31 material complying with the standards of content and performance 32 established by the Council to Establish Academic Standards for 33 Public Schools pursuant to NRS 389.520 relating to those courses 34 of study which: 35 (a) Existed on the effective date of this act; and 36 (b) Relate to: 37 (1) The history of genocides and other atrocities 38 experienced by people from various racial and ethnic 39 backgrounds; 40 (2) The history, language and art of different ethnicities, 41 countries, communities and cultures; 42 (3) National and global current events; 43 (4) The origin, history and essentials of the United States 44 Constitution; 45 – 4 – - *AB464_R1* (5) Civic engagement; 1 (6) Socialization, communication and sensitivity to other 2 persons, groups and communities; and 3 (7) The physical and emotional development of persons, 4 including, without limitation, the development of the human 5 reproductive system. 6 2. The governing body of a charter school or university 7 school for profoundly gifted pupils shall not prohibit, take action 8 to prevent the offering of or refuse to enforce any course of study 9 prescribed and adopted by the State Board or any material 10 complying with the standards of content and performance 11 established by the Council to Establish Academic Standards for 12 Public Schools pursuant to NRS 389.520 relating to those courses 13 of study which: 14 (a) Existed on the effective date of this act; 15 (b) Relate to the subjects listed in paragraph (b) of subsection 16 1; and 17 (c) The charter school or university school for profoundly 18 gifted pupils, as applicable, was required by law or regulation to 19 enforce or offer to pupils enrolled in the charter school or 20 university school for profoundly gifted pupils, as applicable, on 21 the effective date of this act. 22 3. A principal or administrator of a public school shall not 23 prohibit, take action to prevent the offering of or refuse to enforce 24 any course of study prescribed and adopted by the State Board or 25 any material complying with the standards of content and 26 performance established by the Council to Establish Academic 27 Standards for Public Schools pursuant to NRS 389.520 relating to 28 those courses of study which: 29 (a) Existed on the effective date of this act; 30 (b) Relate to the subjects listed in paragraph (b) of subsection 31 1; and 32 (c) Were required to be offered at the public school at which 33 the principal or administrator is employed on the effective of this 34 act. 35 4. A teacher shall not refuse to enforce or teach any course of 36 study prescribed and adopted by the State Board or any material 37 complying with the standards of content and performance 38 established by the Council to Establish Academic Standards for 39 Public Schools pursuant to NRS 389.520 relating to those courses 40 of study which: 41 (a) Existed on the effective date of this act; 42 (b) Relate to the subjects listed in paragraph (b) of subsection 43 1; and 44 – 5 – - *AB464_R1* (c) The teacher would have been required to teach or enforce 1 on the effective date of this act. 2 Sec. 1.7. NRS 389.520 is hereby amended to read as follows: 3 389.520 1. The Council shall: 4 (a) Establish standards of content and performance, including, 5 without limitation, a prescription of the resulting level of 6 achievement, for the grade levels set forth in subsection 5, based 7 upon the content of each course, that is expected of pupils for the 8 following courses of study: 9 (1) English language arts; 10 (2) Mathematics; 11 (3) Science; 12 (4) Social studies, which includes only the subjects of 13 history, geography, economics, civics, financial literacy and 14 multicultural education; 15 (5) The arts; 16 (6) Computer education and technology, which includes 17 computer science and computational thinking; 18 (7) Health; 19 (8) Physical education; and 20 (9) A foreign or world language. 21 (b) Establish a schedule for the periodic review and, if 22 necessary, revision of the standards of content and performance. The 23 review must include, without limitation, the review required 24 pursuant to NRS 390.115 of the results of pupils on the 25 examinations administered pursuant to NRS 390.105. 26 (c) Assign priorities to the standards of content and performance 27 relative to importance and degree of emphasis and revise the 28 standards, if necessary, based upon the priorities. 29 2. The standards for computer education and technology must 30 include a policy for the ethical, safe and secure use of computers 31 and other electronic devices. The policy must include, without 32 limitation: 33 (a) The ethical use of computers and other electronic devices, 34 including, without limitation: 35 (1) Rules of conduct for the acceptable use of the Internet 36 and other electronic devices; and 37 (2) Methods to ensure the prevention of: 38 (I) Cyber-bullying; 39 (II) Plagiarism; and 40 (III) The theft of information or data in an electronic 41 form; 42 (b) The safe use of computers and other electronic devices, 43 including, without limitation, methods to: 44 – 6 – - *AB464_R1* (1) Avoid cyber-bullying and other unwanted electronic 1 communication, including, without limitation, communication with 2 on-line predators; 3 (2) Recognize when an on-line electronic communication is 4 dangerous or potentially dangerous; and 5 (3) Report a dangerous or potentially dangerous on-line 6 electronic communication to the appropriate school personnel; 7 (c) The secure use of computers and other electronic devices, 8 including, without limitation: 9 (1) Methods to maintain the security of personal identifying 10 information and financial information, including, without limitation, 11 identifying unsolicited electronic communication which is sent for 12 the purpose of obtaining such personal and financial information for 13 an unlawful purpose; 14 (2) The necessity for secure passwords or other unique 15 identifiers; 16 (3) The effects of a computer contaminant; 17 (4) Methods to identify unsolicited commercial material; and 18 (5) The dangers associated with social networking Internet 19 sites; and 20 (d) A designation of the level of detail of instruction as 21 appropriate for the grade level of pupils who receive the instruction. 22 3. The standards for social studies must include multicultural 23 education, including, without limitation, information relating to 24 contributions made by men and women from various racial and 25 ethnic backgrounds. Th [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]