S. 1001 — Crucial Communism Teaching Act

This section states the purposes of the Act as (1) helping families, civic institutions, local communities, local educational agencies, high schools, and state educational agencies prepare high school students to be civically responsible and knowledgeable adults; and (2) ensuring U.S. high school students learn that communism has led to more than 100,000,000 deaths worldwide, understand the dangers of communism and similar ideologies, and recognize that 1,500,000,000 people still suffer under communism.

This section directs the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation—an independent entity established under the FRIENDSHIP Act (P.L. 103-199)—to (1) develop a civic education curriculum for high school students that compares political ideologies such as communism and totalitarianism, which conflict with U.S. founding principles of freedom and democracy, and is accurate, accessible, and compatible with social studies, government, history, and economics classes; (2) develop accompanying oral history resources titled “Portraits in Patriotism” featuring personal stories from diverse individuals who demonstrate civic-minded qualities, are victims of such ideologies, and can compare them to U.S. political ideology; and (3) engage state and local educational leaders to assist high schools in using the curriculum and resources.