The bill amends the Texas Education Code to include human trafficking awareness as a required component of the public school curriculum. Specifically, it adds human trafficking awareness to the enrichment curriculum for grades K-12, mandating that school districts provide instruction on this topic. The State Board of Education is tasked with developing a curriculum that includes age-appropriate content for middle school students (grades six through eight) and high school students (grades nine through twelve). The curriculum for middle school will cover the causes of human trafficking, identification and prevention methods, and reporting procedures, while high school students will learn about the commercial sexual exploitation of minors, gender roles in trafficking, and policy responses to human trafficking.

Additionally, the bill requires that students in grades six through eight complete a one-semester course on human trafficking awareness, which will be a one-time requirement. For high school students, the curriculum will include a half-credit in human trafficking awareness as part of their elective credits. The changes will apply to students entering sixth grade in the 2025-2026 school year and to ninth graders in the same year for the high school curriculum. The bill aims to enhance awareness and education on human trafficking among students in Texas public schools.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 28.002 (Education Code 28)