Revises provisions governing education. (BDR 34-235)

Existing law requires the Council to Establish Academic Standards for Public Schools to establish standards of content and performance for certain courses of study, including: (1) English language arts; (2) science; (3) social studies, which includes only the subjects of history, geography, economics, civics, financial literacy and multicultural education; (4) the arts; and (5) health. Existing law requires the Council to forward the standards of content and performance to the State Board of Education for adoption by the State Board. (NRS 389.520) Existing law requires the State Board to prescribe and cause to be enforced the courses of study for all public schools in this State, which must comply with the standards of content and performance established by the Council. (NRS 385.114) Section 1 of this bill prohibits the State Board from repealing, abrogating or refusing to enforce any course of study or any part of a course of study relating to certain topics, such as genocides and other atrocities experienced by people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds and the history of different ethnicities and cultures, which were established by the State Board and in existence as of the effective date of this bill. Similarly, section 1.7 of this bill prohibits the Council from repealing, abrogating, reducing the priority assigned to or otherwise revising to substantially weaken any standard of content and performance relating to certain topics which were established by the Council, adopted by the State Board and in existence on the effective date of this bill. Existing law requires the boards of trustees of school districts to enforce in schools: (1) the standards of content and performance established by the Council; and (2) the courses of study prescribed by the State Board. (NRS 389.003) Existing law also requires each teacher in a public school to enforce the courses of study prescribed by law. (NRS 391.260) Section 1.3 of this bill prohibits the board of trustees of a school district, the governing body of a charter school or university for profoundly gifted pupils, in certain circumstances, and a principal or administrator of a public school from prohibiting the offering or teaching of or refusing to enforce a course of study established by the State Board or standards of content and performance established by the Council if that course or standard existed on the effective date of this bill and relates to certain topics. Section 1.3 also prohibits a teacher at a public school from refusing to teach or enforce a course of study or any material that complies with a standard of content and performance if the teacher would have been required to teach or enforce the course or standard as of the effective date of this bill and the course or standard existed as of the effective date of this bill and relates to certain topics. Section 2 of this bill prohibits the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the governing body of a school district, county or city, a member of such a governing body or a person with direct supervisory authority over an administrator or teacher or certain other public employees from taking any adverse employment action against an administrator, teacher or certain other public employees based on certain characteristics or activities of the employee, including, without limitation, his or her political, religious or social affiliation or independent political, religious or social participation. Section 2 provides that a member of the Board of Regents or governing body who takes such a prohibited adverse employment action is guilty of a misdemeanor. Section 2 also requires the governmental entity to terminate a direct supervisory employee who takes such a prohibited adverse employment action in violation of section 2.