H-3420.1          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 2264

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State of Washington              54th Legislature             1996 Regular Session

By Representatives McMahan, Johnson, Hargrove, Goldsmith, Sheahan, Hymes, Buck, Benton, Mulliken, Koster, Pelesky, Sterk, Lambert, Campbell, Smith, Stevens, McMorris, Mitchell, Talcott, Thompson, Mastin, Backlund, Honeyford, D. Sommers, Hankins, Lisk, Carrell, Robertson and Casada

Read first time 01/09/96.  Referred to Committee on Education.

Prohibiting censorship of materials relating to United States history or heritage in schools.

     AN ACT Relating to censorship by school districts; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:

     School district boards of directors shall not censor any documents, writings, speeches, or records relating to United States history or heritage because of religious references in these documents, writings, speeches, or records.  School district boards of directors shall allow any teacher or administrator in any public school to read or post in a public school building or classroom, or at a public school event, any excerpts or portions of documents, writings, speeches, or records relating to United States history or heritage, including:  The Pledge of Allegiance; the preamble to the Washington Constitution; the Declaration of Independence; the Mayflower Compact; the writings, speeches, documents, and proclamations of the founding fathers and presidents of the United States; United States supreme court decisions; and acts of the United States congress, including the published text of the Congressional Record.

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