Committee hears bill to require "Celebrate Freedom Week" instruction and daily recitation; Board of Public Ed and educators oppose mandate

Representative Greg Oblander introduced House Bill 591 to create a "Celebrate Freedom Week" in public schools requiring at least three hours of instruction each year about the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Montana Constitution, and permitting (but not mandating) a daily recitation from the Declaration of Independence unless a parent opts the child out.

"The intent of this bill is to educate students about the sacrifices that were made in, for freedom in the founding of The United States and the values on which The U.S. was founded," Oblander told the committee. The bill sets the last full week of classes in September as the recommended week, requires grades 3–12 to receive the content with grade-level-appropriate emphasis, and provides explicit parental opt-outs for recitation.

Supporters included a representative of the Montana 250th Commission, who said the bill would help build youth proficiency in American and Montana government and make founding documents "real to students." The Patriot Academy and private groups were referenced by the sponsor as sources for classroom materials.

Opponents — including the Montana School Boards Association, the Board of Public Education and the Montana Federation of Public Employees — said they support civics instruction but opposed this bill's statutory curriculum directions and the effect on the board's constitutional role to set standards. Board staff told the committee that the Board of Public Education already requires social-studies standards that introduce foundational documents in earlier grades and that mandating specific concepts in statute could conflict with adopted rules and complicate schedules and accreditation requirements.

Board staff also warned that the bill would require teachers in unrelated courses (for example, a geography or elective course offered during the last week of September) to change instruction to comply with the statute. "The language in this bill requires specific concepts to be introduced as early as third grade and then year after year until twelfth grade," the Board representative said, and cautioned that the board had only recently added required civics content to standards (July 2023).

The bill drew questions about implementation time, whether an appropriation for teaching materials would be needed and how the policy would affect time allocated to literacy and math, especially in early grades. Oblander said he did not plan an appropriation and suggested free materials and existing resources could be used; several committee members urged collaboration with standards-development committees and offered to connect the sponsor to existing standards work.

No committee vote is recorded in the transcript. The record shows a split between civic-education supporters and state education officials and teacher groups who oppose a statutory mandate that defines content and timing rather than leaving curricular decisions to the Board of Public Education and local districts.

Ending: HB 591 highlights a recurring tension between the legislature setting statutory requirements and the Board of Public Education's constitutional role to adopt content standards. Supporters framed the bill as a civics boost; opponents urged that standards and implementation should remain with the board and local districts.