Florida Congressman Aaron Bean (R) is pushing the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions in Education (TRACE) Act, which exposes foreign and CCP funding and influences in schools.
“American schools are for education, not espionage,” Bean said in an interview with FOX News.
The bill would require that, in order to receive federal funding, schools must provide parents with the ability to review any curriculum provided by or purchased with funds from a foreign country.
It also mandates that schools or districts must inform parents of any contract or financial transaction they have with a foreign country.
Schools must also provide documentation within a month after a parent submits a written request for any student curricular materials or teacher professional-development materials.
“This is what happens when our institutions of learning accept the Trojan horse of foreign funding. The TRACE Act puts parents back in charge, exposes foreign influence for what it is, and slams the door on hostile nations trying to reach America’s youth," Bean remarked.
Previously, Oklahoma officials warned against Chinese Communist Party-linked Confucius Classrooms and other foreign-funded or globally-based initiatives.
Oklahoma's top education official called for congressional action in 2023 to halt foreign influence in schools and further affirmed that it should be at the forefront of pushing back against foreign interference in children's education.
Tulsa Public Schools said the district "has no Confucius Classroom programs in its schools" in response to allegations it partnered with a China-linked entity.
In 2024, a similar bill was launched but failed to pass.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) also launched a similar bill in the Senate. It failed to gain any support.
