Arizona is the second state to adopt anti-communist teaching guidelines.
Governor Doug Doucey (R-AZ) signed House Bill 2008 into law on June 17th, 2022, tweeting, “SIGNED: H.B. 2008.This bill is another point for Arizona’s strong civics education. Students will learn about other nation’s governing philosophies & form a deeper understanding for the freedoms and rights Americans are guaranteed. @QuangNguyenAZ.”
What HB 2008 Does
HB 2008 instructs the State Board of Education (SBE) “to update its high school social studies academic standards to incorporate a comparative discussion of political ideologies, such as communism and totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy that are essential to the founding principles of the United States of America.”
The bill was championed by Arizona State Representative Quang Nguyen, a refugee from communist Vietnam.
“Having grown up in Vietnam and survived three communist invasions, I have a deep love and appreciation for the United States and its freedoms, which are guaranteed to all,” said State Representative Quang Nguyen in a press release. “It’s my intent for Arizona’s students to graduate with a similar appreciation for what it means to be an American. This civics standards update will help ensure that our students are taught the brutal facts of oppressive communist systems and how they are fundamentally antithetical to America’s founding principles.”