New York, New York; December 9, 2024—On Friday, Dec. 6, the House of Representatives took decisive action against Marxist ideology in schools with the passage of HR 5349, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act.
Overwhelmingly passed 327-62 with bipartisan support, the bill mandates that schools teach “certain political ideologies, including communism and totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy that are essential to the founding of the United States.” The bill calls for the use of a curriculum developed by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
Representative Maria Salazar (R-FL), who introduced the bill, stated, “Communism is one of the most destructive political ideologies the world has ever seen.” The National Association of Scholars (NAS) has long opposed the whitewashing of Communism and the propagation of narratives that laud socialism at the expense of liberty.
The current standards for the teaching of Communism are woefully inadequate. Earlier this year, NAS, through the Civics Alliance, published the History of Communism: Model State Academic Standards for Social Studies. These standards provide guidelines for high school teachers to integrate the history of Communism into social studies courses.
HR 5349, with passage by the Senate, is a step in the right direction. The bill, along with standards such as the History of Communism, will ensure that students know about the tyrannical nature of Communist thought, the blood-stained history of Communist regimes, and the influence of Communist ideology on American politics.
NAS applauds and supports the passage of the Crucial Communism Teaching Act.
Photo by Egor Myznik on Unsplash
