HF 65

as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) Posted on 02/20/2025 03:40pm

A bill for an act
relating to education; repealing authority to adopt rules implementing statewide
health standards; canceling certain funds; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024,
sections 120B.018, subdivision 6; 120B.021, subdivisions 1, 2, 3, 4; 120B.024,
subdivision 1; Laws 2024, chapter 115, article 2, section 22, subdivision 4; repealing
Laws 2024, chapter 115, article 2, section 21.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.018, subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

Required standard.

"Required standard" means new text begin :
new text end

new text begin (1) new text end a statewide adopted expectation for student learning in the content areas of language
arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, deleted text begin health, deleted text end and the arts deleted text begin . Locally
developed academic standards in health apply until statewide rules implementing statewide
health standards under section 120B.021, subdivision 3, are required to be implemented in
the classroom deleted text end new text begin ; or
new text end

new text begin (2) a locally adopted expectation for student learning in health new text end .

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2025.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.021, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Required academic standards.

(a) The following subject areas are
required for statewide accountability:

(1) language arts;

(2) mathematics, encompassing algebra II, integrated mathematics III, or an equivalent
in high school, and to be prepared for the three credits of mathematics in grades 9 through
12, the grade 8 standards include completion of algebra;

(3) science, including earth and space science, life science, and the physical sciences,
including chemistry and physics;

(4) social studies, including history, geography, economics, and government and
citizenship that includes civics;

(5) physical education;

(6) health new text begin , for which locally developed academic standards apply new text end ; and

(7) the arts. Public elementary and middle schools must offer at least three and require
at least two of the following five arts areas: dance; media arts; music; theater; and visual
arts. Public high schools must offer at least three and require at least one of the following
five arts areas: media arts; dance; music; theater; and visual arts.

(b) For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts,
mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students
with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education
program team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. An
individualized education program team that makes this determination must establish
alternative standards.

(c) A school district may include child sexual abuse prevention instruction in a health
curriculum, consistent with paragraph (a), clause (6). Child sexual abuse prevention
instruction may include age-appropriate instruction on recognizing sexual abuse and assault,
boundary violations, and ways offenders groom or desensitize victims, as well as strategies
to promote disclosure, reduce self-blame, and mobilize bystanders. A school district may
provide instruction under this paragraph in a variety of ways, including at an annual assembly
or classroom presentation. A school district may also provide parents information on the
warning signs of child sexual abuse and available resources.

(d) District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum as a
result of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections 120B.10, 120B.11,
and 120B.20.

deleted text begin (e) Locally developed academic standards in health apply until statewide rules
implementing statewide health standards under subdivision 3 are required to be implemented
in the classroom.
deleted text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2025.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.021, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Standards development.

(a) The commissioner must consider advice from at
least the following stakeholders in developing statewide rigorous core academic standards
in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, including history, geography,
economics, government and citizenship, deleted text begin health, deleted text end and the arts:

(1) parents of school-age children and members of the public throughout the state;

(2) teachers throughout the state currently licensed and providing instruction in language
arts, mathematics, science, social studies, deleted text begin health, deleted text end or the arts and licensed elementary and
secondary school principals throughout the state currently administering a school site;

(3) currently serving members of local school boards and charter school boards throughout
the state;

(4) faculty teaching core subjects at postsecondary institutions in Minnesota;

(5) representatives of the Minnesota business community;

(6) representatives from the Tribal Nations Education Committee and Tribal Nations
and communities in Minnesota, including both Anishinaabe and Dakota; and

(7) current students, with input from the Minnesota Youth Council.

(b) Academic standards must:

(1) be clear, concise, objective, measurable, and grade-level appropriate;

(2) not require a specific teaching methodology or curriculum; and

(3) be consistent with the Constitutions of the United States and the state of Minnesota.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2025.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.021, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Rulemaking.

deleted text begin (a) deleted text end The commissioner, consistent with the requirements of this
section and section 120B.022, must adopt statewide rules under section 14.389 for
implementing statewide rigorous core academic standards in language arts, mathematics,
science, social studies, physical education, and the arts.

deleted text begin (b) The commissioner must adopt statewide rules for implementing statewide rigorous
core academic standards in health.
deleted text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2025.
new text end

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.021, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Revisions and reviews required.

(a) The commissioner of education must
revise the state's academic standards and graduation requirements and implement a ten-year
cycle to review and, consistent with the review, revise state academic standards and related
benchmarks, consistent with this subdivision. During each ten-year review and revision
cycle, the commissioner also must examine the alignment of each required academic standard
and related benchmark with the knowledge and skills students need for career and college
readiness and advanced work in the particular subject area. The commissioner must include
the contributions of Minnesota American Indian Tribes and communities, including urban
Indigenous communities, as related to the academic standards during the review and revision
of the required academic standards. The commissioner must embed Indigenous education
for all students consistent with recommendations from Tribal Nations and urban Indigenous
communities in Minnesota regarding the contributions of American Indian Tribes and
communities in Minnesota into the state's academic standards during the review and revision
of the required academic standards. The recommendations to embed Indigenous education
for all students includes but is not limited to American Indian experiences in Minnesota,
including Tribal histories, Indigenous languages, sovereignty issues, cultures, treaty rights,
governments, socioeconomic experiences, contemporary issues, and current events.

(b) The commissioner must ensure that the statewide mathematics assessments
administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 are aligned with the state academic
standards in mathematics, consistent with section 120B.302, subdivision 3, paragraph (a).
The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related
benchmarks in mathematics beginning in the 2021-2022 school year and every ten years
thereafter.

(c) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related
benchmarks in arts beginning in the 2017-2018 school year and every ten years thereafter.

(d) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related
benchmarks in science beginning in the 2018-2019 school year and every ten years thereafter.

(e) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related
benchmarks in language arts beginning in the 2019-2020 school year and every ten years
thereafter.

(f) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related
benchmarks in social studies beginning in the 2020-2021 school year and every ten years
thereafter.

(g) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related
benchmarks in physical education beginning in the 2026-2027 school year and every ten
years thereafter.

deleted text begin (h) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related
benchmarks in health education beginning in the 2034-2035 school year and every ten years
thereafter.
deleted text end

deleted text begin (i) deleted text end new text begin (h) new text end School districts and charter schools must revise and align local academic standards
and high school graduation requirements in new text begin health, new text end world languages new text begin , new text end and career and technical
education to require students to complete the revised standards beginning in a school year
determined by the school district or charter school. School districts and charter schools must
formally establish a periodic review cycle for the academic standards and related benchmarks
in new text begin health, new text end world languages new text begin , new text end and career and technical education.

deleted text begin (j) deleted text end new text begin (i) new text end The commissioner of education must embed technology and information literacy
standards consistent with recommendations from school media specialists into the state's
academic standards and graduation requirements.

deleted text begin (k) deleted text end new text begin (j) new text end The commissioner of education must embed ethnic studies as related to the
academic standards during the review and revision of the required academic standards.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2025.
new text end

Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.024, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Graduation requirements.

(a) Students must successfully complete the
following high school level credits for graduation:

(1) four credits of language arts sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in
English language arts;

(2) three credits of mathematics sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in
mathematics;

(3) three credits of science, including one credit to satisfy all the earth and space science
standards for grades 9 through 12, one credit to satisfy all the life science standards for
grades 9 through 12, and one credit to satisfy all the chemistry or physics standards for
grades 9 through 12;

(4) three and one-half credits of social studies, including credit for a course in government
and citizenship in either grade 11 or 12 for students beginning grade 9 in the 2025-2026
school year and later or an advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or other rigorous
course on government and citizenship under section 120B.021, subdivision 1a, and a
combination of other credits encompassing at least United States history, geography,
government and citizenship, world history, and economics sufficient to satisfy all of the
academic standards in social studies;

(5) one credit of the arts sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in the arts;

(6) credit sufficient to satisfy the state standards in physical education; new text begin and
new text end

deleted text begin (7) credits sufficient to satisfy the state standards in health upon adoption of statewide
rules for implementing health standards under section 120B.021; and
deleted text end

deleted text begin (8) deleted text end new text begin (7) new text end a minimum of seven elective credits.

(b) Students who begin grade 9 in the 2024-2025 school year and later must successfully
complete a course for credit in personal finance in grade 10, 11, or 12. A teacher of a personal
finance course that satisfies the graduation requirement must have a field license or
out-of-field permission in agricultural education, business, family and consumer science,
social studies, or math.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2025.
new text end

Sec. 7.

Laws 2024, chapter 115, article 2, section 22, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Rulemaking.

(a) For rulemaking and administrative costs related to health
education standards:

$

627,000

.....

2025

(b) This is a onetime appropriation deleted text begin and is available until June 30, 2027 deleted text end .

new text begin (c) On June 29, 2025, $490,000 from the initial fiscal year 2025 appropriation is canceled
to the general fund.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 8. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Laws 2024, chapter 115, article 2, section 21, new text end new text begin is repealed.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2025.
new text end

APPENDIX

Repealed Minnesota Session Laws: 25-02873

Laws 2024, chapter 115, article 2, section 21

Sec. 21. new text begin HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARDS. new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Statewide standards. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of education must begin the rulemaking process to adopt statewide academic standards in health in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, chapter 14 and section 120B.021. The commissioner must consult with the commissioner of health and the commissioner of human services in developing the proposed rules. The rules must include at least the expectations for student learning listed in subdivision 2, and may include the expectations in subdivision 3, in addition to other expectations for learning identified through the standards development process. new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Required health-related subject areas. new text end

new text begin The commissioner must include the following expectations for learning in the statewide standards: new text end

new text begin (1) cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automatic external defibrillator education that allows districts to provide instruction to students in grades 7 through 12 in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.236; new text end

new text begin (2) vaping awareness and prevention education that allows districts to provide instruction to students in grades 6 through 8 in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.238, subdivision 3; new text end

new text begin (3) cannabis use and substance use education that allows districts to provide instruction to students in grades 6 through 12 in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.215; new text end

new text begin (4) sexually transmitted infections and diseases education that meets the requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.23; and new text end

new text begin (5) mental health education for students in grades 4 through 12. new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Other health-related subject areas. new text end

new text begin The commissioner may include the following expectations for learning in the statewide standards: new text end

new text begin (1) child sexual abuse prevention education in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, sections 120B.021, subdivision 1, paragraph (d); and 120B.234; new text end

new text begin (2) violence prevention education in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.22; new text end

new text begin (3) character development education in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.232; new text end

new text begin (4) safe and supportive schools education in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.031, subdivision 5; and new text end

new text begin (5) other expectations for learning identified through the standards development process. new text end