South Carolina House Bill H3912

South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Refer: 2/6/25

Caption

A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 59-18-350, RELATING TO THE CYCLICAL REVIEW OF STATE STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS REQUIRED IN THE EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, SO AS TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE REVIEW AND REVISION PROCESS FOR STATE SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS TO ENSURE THE STANDARDS TAKE A TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO HISTORY, TO SPECIFY QUALIFICATIONS FOR PARTIES RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWING AND REVISING THE STANDARDS, AND TO PROVIDE RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION.

Summary

H3912 would amend South Carolina’s Education Accountability Act provision governing the cyclical review of state standards and assessments, with a specific focus on social studies. The bill directs that future review and revision of social studies standards take a “traditional” approach to history, emphasizing major individuals and events in political, constitutional, intellectual, economic, diplomatic, and military history of the United States. It also requires individuals involved in the standards review process to certify that they do not have a record of endorsing “divisive concepts” or narratives that portray the founding or broader history of the United States as a story of oppression. The bill further requires that a majority of the State Board of Education designees involved in revising social studies standards be subject matter historians, including constitutional history experts and military historians, and defines “historian” to include people with a doctorate in U.S. history or recognized subject matter experts such as published authors on historically significant topics. The State Superintendent of Education would be responsible, at her discretion, for certifying that appointees meet these qualifications and could remove individuals if a violation is discovered during the review process.

Impact

If enacted, H3912 would add new statutory requirements to Section 59-18-350 of the South Carolina Code, changing who may participate in social studies standards review and how those standards are developed. It would impose qualification and certification rules on appointees, give the State Superintendent oversight authority to screen and remove participants, and constrain future revisions toward a content-based, traditional-history framework. The bill would directly affect the State Board of Education, the Department of Education, and any task force or designees involved in standards and assessments review, while shaping the content of K-12 social studies standards statewide.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears to be strongly supportive of a traditionalist approach to history instruction and skeptical of frameworks described as “divisive concepts” or narratives centered on oppression. The bill’s framing suggests an intent to steer curriculum development toward a more patriotic or conventional account of U.S. history. Because no transcripts or vote history are provided, there is no documented opposition or bipartisan reaction in the available record.

Contention

The main points of contention are likely to be the bill’s ideological screening language and its restrictions on who may serve on standards review bodies. Critics could object that terms like “divisive concepts” and “story of oppression” are vague, politically charged, or could exclude educators and scholars with differing interpretive views of history. Supporters, by contrast, appear to favor ensuring that standards are written by credentialed historians and emphasize foundational events and institutions. The superintendent’s discretionary authority to certify or remove appointees may also be contentious because it concentrates significant gatekeeping power in one office.