S 2509119th CongressIn Committee

Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act

Introduced: Jul 29, 2025

Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-Texas)

Education

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill, the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act, would add a new provision to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to inform parents about foreign influence in their child’s public school. Specifically, it creates a “Parents’ Right to Know About Foreign Influence” requiring schools to provide, upon written request and at no cost, access to curricular and professional development materials that were funded by foreign governments or “foreign entities of concern,” as well as disclosures about personnel paid with foreign funds and any foreign donations, contracts, or financial transactions involving the school or LEA. Schools must post a summary of these rights on their websites (or disseminate it widely if no website exists), and the Secretary and state agencies must inform each school year of these requirements. The bill defines key terms and makes compliance a condition of receiving funds under this Act. In practice, if enacted, LEAs would need procedures to (1) allow parents to review or copy funded materials within 30 days of a request, (2) report on staff funded by foreign sources, (3) disclose foreign donations and contractual or financial arrangements with foreign entities, and (4) publish notices about these rights each school year. The act would implement these requirements through federal funding conditions, with state and national education officials overseeing compliance.

Key Points

1New provision: Adds Sec. 8549D to the ESEA, creating a “Parents’ Right to Know About Foreign Influence.”
2What parents can access:
3- Free review and copies (within 30 days and at least every four weeks) of curricular or professional development materials used in the school that were funded with foreign government funds or funds from a “foreign entity of concern.”
4- Written responses within 30 days about how many school personnel are compensated with foreign funds.
5- Written responses within 30 days about foreign donations, written agreements/contracts with foreign entities, and any foreign financial transactions involving the school or LEA.
6Information required: For donations/related deals, provide the foreign country/entity name, amount of funds, and any terms or conditions.
7Notice and posting: At the start of each school year, schools must post a summary of these rights on a public school website or disseminate it broadly if no website exists.
8Implementation and definitions: The Secretary and State educational agencies must notify required parties at the start of each school year; LEAs must comply as a condition of receiving funds under this Act. Definitions include what counts as a “foreign country” and a “foreign entity of concern” (the latter drawn from another act).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Parents and students in public schools with funding under this Act, since they gain explicit rights to inspect materials and funding information tied to foreign sources.- Local educational agencies (LEAs) and school staff responsible for compliance, record‑keeping, and responding to parental requests.Secondary group/area affected- State educational agencies (SEAs) and the U.S. Department of Education, which would oversee and enforce compliance as a condition of funding.- Donors and contractors with foreign ties, due to increased transparency around donations, contracts, and financial transactions.Additional impacts- Administrative and operational costs for LEAs to establish request processes, maintain records, and respond within 30 days.- Potential privacy considerations and the risk of mislabeling or politicized disputes over what constitutes a “foreign entity of concern.”- Possible effects on partnerships or funding–related collaborations if foreign funding or agreements are scrutinized or restricted.- Legal and compliance questions may arise about how “foreign funds” and “foreign entities of concern” are identified and verified, and how copyright limits interact with providing copies of materials.Foreign country: includes a foreign country or its dependent territory/possession, but not the “outlying areas” (as defined in the bill’s text). This definition could affect which entities’ funding triggers the disclosure requirements.Foreign entity of concern: defined by reference to another statute (as in the bill’s text), which could affect what entities are covered and how they are categorized.

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