SB 1116 Pennsylvania Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, providing for communism education.

SB 1116 requires Pennsylvania public schools to provide age-appropriate instruction on communism beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. It mandates teaching the origins of communist ideology, historical communist regimes, documented human rights abuses under such systems, survivor accounts, and comparisons between communist governance and U.S. democratic principles (including constitutional protections and freedoms). The Pennsylvania Department of Education must develop and distribute curriculum materials, primary sources, and teacher training by May 2026, integrating lessons into existing courses like history and civics. Schools must report annually on implementation, with all materials and summaries made publicly available online. The bill defines "communism" as a political ideology advocating for centralized economic control and one-party rule, and "totalitarian ideology" as systems suppressing dissent and individual freedoms.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Dec 10, 2025 Last action Dec 10, 2025
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1
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Committee
1
Dec 10, 2025
Committee
Referred to Education
upper
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

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