Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems Act
HB1005, titled the “Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems Act” or the “CLASS Act,” would require public elementary and secondary schools to disclose certain foreign funding and foreign contracts as a condition of receiving federal financial assistance. If a school receives more than $10,000 in the aggregate from a foreign source, or enters into foreign-source contracts totaling more than $10,000, it must submit a written disclosure to the Secretary of Education within 30 days.
The disclosure must identify the foreign source’s name and country of origin, and, for foreign funds, the amount received and any terms or conditions attached to the funds. For foreign contracts, the school must disclose the terms and conditions of the contract. The bill incorporates existing federal definitions for “applicable program,” “elementary school,” “secondary school,” “federal financial assistance,” and “foreign source,” tying the new reporting requirement to current education and federal funding law.
The bill would add a new federal transparency requirement for public K-12 schools that receive federal aid, effectively conditioning that aid on reporting foreign-source gifts, grants, and contracts above the $10,000 threshold. It would not directly ban foreign funding or contracts, but it would create a federal disclosure regime administered by the Department of Education and could affect school districts, charter schools, and other public elementary and secondary schools that engage with foreign entities. The bill relies on existing statutory definitions from federal education and spending law, so its practical effect would be to expand reporting obligations rather than rewrite the underlying definitions of schools or foreign sources.
The available voting history suggests the bill received majority support in the House, passing 241-175, which indicates a generally favorable sentiment among supporters toward increased transparency and scrutiny of foreign influence in schools. The bill then advanced to the Senate and was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. No committee transcript is available, so the record here does not show detailed debate, but the title and structure suggest the bill is framed around national security, transparency, and foreign influence concerns.
The main point of contention is likely the scope and burden of the disclosure mandate. Supporters appear to favor the bill as a way to expose foreign influence and ensure transparency in public schools, while opponents may view it as duplicative, administratively burdensome, or potentially broad enough to capture routine educational partnerships and donations. Another likely area of dispute is the bill’s framing around “authoritarians,” which signals a strong political message and may be seen by critics as inflammatory or as targeting certain foreign countries or entities more than others.