Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems Act
Key claim: The CLASS Act would bar public K-12 schools from accepting Chinese government or CCP funds or contracts as a condition of federal elementary and secondary education funding, and require disclosure of foreign-source funding and contracts to the Department of Education.
Abstract
(HR1005 · 119th Congress) Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems Act or the CLASS Act This bill prohibits public elementary and secondary schools, as a condition of receiving federal elementary and secondary education funds, from accepting funds from or entering into a contract with the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or any individual or entity acting on behalf of the Chinese government or the CCP. The bill also requires schools to disclose funding from or contracts with a foreign source to the Department of Education. Latest action (2025-12-04): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Why this matters
The CLASS Act would extend foreign-influence disclosure and funding restrictions, previously concentrated in higher education, into the K-12 system by conditioning federal elementary and secondary aid on schools refusing PRC/CCP money or contracts. For districts and states, this creates a new compliance and reporting obligation tied to a major federal funding stream, and for the Department of Education it opens a new K-12 foreign-gift oversight role. It signals continued congressional interest in aligning K-12 policy with existing higher-ed foreign-source transparency frameworks.