Legislation requiring public schools in Mississippi to teach students how the government works is making its way through the state Senate.
Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, fulfilled a pre-session promise to reintroduce a measure that would make civics a mandatory course for high school graduation. Senate Bill 2292 not only does that, but it also requires schools to teach civics as a standalone course from the eighth-grade level up to a pupil’s senior year.
The legislation was given a nod of approval by the Senate Education Committee and awaits a floor vote in the chamber. As for the motive behind the measure, Wiggins said it stemmed from basic illiteracy of the American government structure as has been magnified on social media, in his opinion.
“You only need to go on social media to understand that our understanding of how the government works, particularly separation of powers and checks and balances, is at a low ebb,” Wiggins said. “We need to get back to talking about the Constitution and understanding how things work.”
The civics curriculum, according to the bill, would serve to teach the history, heritage, and civic life of the United States and the state of Mississippi. Pupils would learn more about the U.S. Constitution and basic principles of democracy, including the duties of each branch of the federal government, along with the separation of powers. An emphasis would also be placed on how government works at the local level.
The Mississippi Department of Education would be tasked with developing and periodically updating the civics curriculum, while changing the title of existing “United States Government” classes to “United States Government and Civics.” If passed by both chambers and signed by Gov. Tate Reeves, the law would go into effect on July 1 but would not be implemented in the classroom until the 2027-28 school year.