Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is introducing a new bill to prevent foreign entities, especially from China, from influencing U.S. classrooms. The Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act will require schools to disclose information about any curricula funded or sourced by foreign entities to parents who request it.
The TRACE Act, a companion to legislation introduced in June by Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL), aims to provide parents with transparency and safeguard classrooms from foreign influence. “The Chinese Communist Party exerts vast resources to control what Americans see, hear, and ultimately think,” Cruz said, stressing the importance of the bill.
Parents will receive the requested information at no cost, and school districts must clearly display or communicate parents’ rights under the policy. Michele Exner, director of federal affairs at Parents Defending Education, endorsed Cruz’s measure, highlighting alarming evidence of foreign nations, particularly the Chinese Communist Party, attempting to influence American education.
Rep. Bean’s bill, introduced as part of his role as chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, aims to ensure parents know how foreign funding affects their child’s classroom. “American schools are for education, not espionage,” Bean stated, emphasizing the need to protect students from foreign influence.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chair of the House Education Committee, supported the measure, pointing out that foreign investments in K-12 schools could affect decisions about curriculum and personnel. “School administrators are not required to share where their funding comes from. That’s unacceptable,” Foxx said.
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters also raised concerns about Chinese influence through programs like Confucius Classrooms, which he described as a propaganda effort to undermine American values. Walters called on Congress to take action, highlighting the importance of measures like the TRACE Act to safeguard American education from foreign adversaries.
