Foreign-backed influence in schools to be exposed under GOP 'TRACE Act' giving parents access to curriculum

EXCLUSIVE: Congressional Republicans renewed their efforts Wednesday to give parents a window into whether their child's education is being influenced by the Chinese Communist Party or other malign actors.

Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., chair of the House DOGE Caucus, and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., will put forward their TRACE Act on Wednesday morning, which seeks to "TRACE" foreign funding and influence - or provide "Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions in Education."

The bill would require that, as a condition of federal funding, schools must provide parents with the right to review any curriculum provided by or purchased with funds of a foreign country.

It also mandates parents have the right to know or be informed of any contract or financial transaction a school or district has with any foreign country.

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Schools would be required to provide free copies roughly once a month and no later than 30 days after a parent submits a written request for any student curricular materials or teacher professional-development materials.

The bill would also shine a light on foreign countries' donations to schools across the country, particularly those contributions from formally designated "foreign entities of concern."

"American schools are for education, not espionage," Bean told Fox News Digital.

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"Yet this is what happens when our institutions of learning accept the Trojan horse of foreign funding. The TRACE Act puts parents back in charge, exposes foreign influence for what it is, and slams the door on hostile nations trying to reach America's youth."

Bean said the House seeks to protect parental rights, secure classrooms from foreign influence and "keep American schools rooted in freedom."

"Our future is on the line, and we're going to get this done."

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Mackenzie added that parents have a right to know what is being taught to their kids - "especially when overseas adversaries like China may be involved."

"Our children and our democracy depend on keeping foreign propaganda campaigns out of American classrooms, and parents are the first line of defense," Mackenzie told Fox News Digital.

He echoed Bean in that the TRACE Act will strengthen parental rights and harden classrooms against outside academic intercession.

Two other House lawmakers: Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., and Erin Houchin, R-Ind., have also signed on to the bill.

The issue has come to the fore in recent years, as education officials in states such as Oklahoma warn against Chinese Communist Party-linked Confucius Classrooms and other foreign-funded or globally-based initiatives.

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Oklahoma's top elected education official had called for congressional action in 2023 to blunt foreign influence in schools - and further pledged to be on the front lines of pushing back against untoward interference in children's education.

State Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters previously told Fox News Digital he believes foreign influence over education is a national security risk - especially when it comes without the knowledge of children or their parents.

He challenged his state's largest school district, alleging funding for Confucius Classrooms had been "hidden" from parents and that it was "actually the Chinese Communist Party that was funding a nonprofit that was working directly in the school."

In a statement to Fox News at the time on the matter, Tulsa Public Schools said the district "has no Confucius Classroom programs in its schools" in response to allegations it partnered with a China-linked entity.

A similar bill was launched in 2024, but languished in the House.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also previously authored a Senate version of the prior legislation, but it died in committee, according to the Congressional Record.