What is the status of the BIG EDUCATION ISSUES at the halfway point through the 2022 Kansas legislative session?

The House has a mega-monster bill ready for more discussion. This is House Substitute for House Bill 2615. This bill contains an expansive voucher program under which students may attend unaccountable and unaccredited private schools at taxpayer expense and another provision that opens enrollment across school district lines allowing non-resident pupils to enroll in other school districts.

The House also has the so-called “parents’ bill of rights” to debate. This bill which opens up school districts to lawsuits from both the left and the right as parents battle for control of curriculum, books, and classroom lessons puts an enormous unfunded reporting burden on school districts while encourage parents and even non-parents to challenge school materials and bring lawsuits. These provisions are now contained in House Substitute for House Bill 2662.

A similar bill in the Senate, Senate Bill 496 is also still available for debate.

Senate Bill 515 can still be brought up. This is a bill that bans teaching anything that might make a child feel uncomfortable and is intended to end teaching about so-called “divisive” or “controversial” issues including racism, sexism, anti-semitism, or gender.

HB 2466 = Computer Science Course Requirement has been blessed.

HB 2685 (proficiency assessments to advance grade levels) is dead.

HB 2690 (Merit Pay for literacy) is still alive. Since it was initially introduced in Appropriations, it is exempt.

SB 496 (Senate Parents’ Bill of Rights) was blessed.

SB 515 was requested for introduction by Tyson in Senate Tax so it’s also exempt.

Both Senate “academic transparency” bills (SB 363 & SB 393) are dead.