Teaching Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Virtue and Excellence (T.H.R.I.V.E.) Act; establish.

HB 1311, the T.H.R.I.V.E. Act, would require all Mississippi public elementary and secondary schools to implement mandatory character education courses starting in the 2026-2027 school year, focusing on specific values like respect for family, marriage, work, personal responsibility, patriotism, and moral character. The bill mandates that schools use only state-approved courses and materials (with no district discretion), requires parental opt-out rights without academic penalty, and demands public transparency through notice, material inspection, and annual compliance reports to state leaders. It also permits third-party after-school programs (with parental consent) offering religious, historical, or philosophical justifications for the curriculum, provided they align with the specified values. The legislation explicitly prohibits materials contradicting these values and requires schools to teach enumerated traits, including sexual abstinence outside marriage and fidelity within marriage.