The US House of Representatives introduced a new bill on Friday (June 7th) that requires schools receiving federal funding to notify parents in advance if any of their courses are funded by foreign sources. The purpose of this bill is to curb the Chinese Communist Party’s interference in the American education system.
In recent months, Americans have become increasingly concerned about the negative impacts of CCP-funded programs infiltrating the US education system.
Last year, Ryan Walters, the Director of Public Education in Oklahoma, warned that CCP-funded programs like Confucius Classrooms were designed to “undermine” America. In Oklahoma, public schools have received funding from the CCP through non-profit organizations to establish Confucius Classrooms that only teach content approved by the CCP.
On Friday afternoon, members of the House Education & Workforce Committee introduced the bill, with representatives telling Fox News that they expect to quickly pass the preliminary legislative process.
The bill, known as the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act, or TRACE Act, will require schools to allow parents the opportunity to review courses funded by foreign entities.
Additionally, the bill mandates that schools inform parents of any foreign contracts or financial transactions the school is involved in.
This legislation serves as a supplement to the Parents Bill of Rights introduced by Representative Julia Letlow and passed by the House in 2023. The Parents Bill of Rights grants parents over a dozen “rights” to better understand their children’s daily learning and increase transparency.
The bill introduced on Friday also stipulates that parents should be informed of how many school staff members (if any) are receiving compensation from other countries or “foreign entities of interest,” as well as whether any foreign actors are donating to the school.
Virginia Foxx, Chair of the House Education Committee and a North Carolina representative, stated that the TRACE Act will provide parents with a better understanding of the school’s situation.
Foxx said, “We know that significant investments from foreign sources are flowing into K-12 schools in America, potentially influencing personnel or curriculum decisions.”
She added, “Currently, school administrators are not required to disclose their funding sources. This is unacceptable.”
Aaron Bean, one of the main sponsors of the TRACE Act and a Florida representative, emphasized that American schools exist for “education, not espionage,” and parents should have control over the schools.
“We cannot allow our students— the future of our great nation— to be corroded by foreign adversaries who are systematically and actively trying to influence our K-12 schools,” Bean said. “However, this is the consequence of our educational institutions accepting foreign funding Trojan horses. My bill aims to strengthen parental rights by making them aware of how foreign influences affect their children’s classrooms and to stop foreign interference in the minds of American youth.”
In an interview with Fox News, the Oklahoma Director of Public Education, Walters, discussed the CCP’s infiltration of American schools.
Walters stated, “What we found that was shocking was that this money was being hidden from parents, and in fact, the CCP was funding a non-profit that was directly working in the schools.”
He mentioned that Oklahoma was leading the nation in investigating the impact of foreign curriculum in American schools and noted that Florida had followed suit by issuing similar directives.
“What we are doing in educational institutions is not allowing various districts to cooperate with countries identified by US national security agencies as hostile towards America,” Walters said.
Walters emphasized that Oklahoma requires parents to know “who is teaching my child” and what kind of education they are receiving. He warned that without such oversight, they could still be influenced by foreign hostile forces.