Higher Education Civics Amendments

HB 219, the Higher Education Civics Amendments, requires Utah's public and private colleges and universities to incorporate foundational American documents - such as the Constitution, Federalist Papers, and key Supreme Court decisions - into writing courses when appropriate for the course's learning goals, starting in the 2026-27 academic year. The Utah Board of Higher Education must establish a policy directing institutions to use these "seminal documents" in analytical writing assignments to build skills like close reading, historical context analysis, and evidence-based argumentation. Institutions may voluntarily adopt structured requirements (e.g., three analytical writing assignments using these documents), but the bill does not mandate adoption for all schools. Faculty retain full discretion to select specific documents, design assignments, and integrate them without overriding course objectives. The policy aims to strengthen students' ability to analyze primary sources while preserving flexibility in teaching diverse writing genres.