U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) does not want America’s K-12 public schools to accept funds from anyone or anything associated with China’s regime.
Toward that goal, the congressman on Sept. 19 sponsored the bipartisan Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems (CLASS) Act, H.R. 5567, which would prohibit elementary and secondary schools from accepting funds from or entering into contracts with the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. The bill has 12 original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Mike Carey (R-OH), and Ed Case (D-HI).
“As students across the country start the new school year, the Chinese Communist Party is hard at work attempting to influence their curriculum. China’s attempts to interfere in American classrooms represent a direct threat to the national security of our country,” Rep. Joyce said. “This bipartisan legislation is a crucial step in preventing China’s influence from spreading into the American education system.”
According to information provided by Rep. Joyce’s staff, numerous Freedom of Information Act requests have uncovered that more than 140 school districts around the United States have received money directly from the Chinese government or through intermediaries connected to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
If enacted, H.R. 5567 would ban school districts from accepting any such funds and would require school districts to disclose any time they receive funding from other foreign governments, the information says.
“The People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party have demonstrated repeatedly that there are no boundaries in the deliberate spread of propaganda and disinformation, including the classrooms of the world,” said Rep. Case. “We can and should value real cultural exchange to foster mutual goodwill and understanding, but we must be eyes wide open to exploitation of our best intentions in our most valued institutions.”
H.R. 5567 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee.