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Article by Tennessee Conservative News Staff –
Some Tennessee teachers will see changes to their curriculum this fall as new legislation requiring instruction on victims of communism goes into effect after being passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in the last legislative session.
Legislators passed HB2089/SB2168, sponsored by Representative Dennis Powers (R-Jacksboro-District 36) and Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston-District 12), which mandates that high school students who are enrolled in a world history or geography course be given at least 45 minutes of instruction on Victims of Communism Day.
Specifically, the instruction must include “how victims suffered under communist regimes, including through poverty, starvation, migration, systemized lethal violence, and suppression of speech.”
The new law requires instruction but does not stipulate that a particular statewide curriculum be used. Instead, school districts are allowed to decide for themselves how to best implement the instruction.
They are mandated, however, to provide the instruction on November 7, according to the law. However, because November 7 falls on a weekend, the instruction must take place on the next school day, making this year’s lesson fall on November 9.
Not all educators are on board with the changes. Some say they were not given an opportunity to be part of any discussion regarding the changes, while others expressed concern that the mandate to provide the lesson on a particular day makes it more difficult because it may not fall in the correct place in regards to current curriculum and content requirements.
Similarly, legislation was passed that would require that academic standards for social studies be updated to include grade-level appropriate instruction on the history of Communism both in America and internationally, despite pushback from the American Historical Association and state Democrats, with arguments that this was already covered by the current curriculum.
Because updates to academic standards often take years to complete, no timeline has been set for the implementation of those new standards.
Tennessee is one of several states that recently passed legislation requiring more anti-Communism education in public schools. Florida passed a law in 2025 that requires an update to social studies standards to include lessons on communist “infiltration” of civil rights groups.
Sources:
TennesseeConservativeNews.com.
