HB 2412

                           HOUSE BILL No. 2412
AN ACT concerning education; relating to curriculum for social studies; requiring
   instruction to provide students with an understanding of communist, fascist and
   socialist regimes and ideologies; requiring that students pass an American civics
   examination in order to graduate with a high school diploma; amending K.S.A. 72-
   3217 and repealing the existing section.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
    New Section 1. (a) To provide students with essential knowledge
and skills for the social studies curriculum, the state board of education
shall develop age and developmentally appropriate curriculum,
materials and guidelines to provide students in nonelementary grades as
designated by each school district with an understanding of the
negative impacts of communist, fascist and socialist regimes and
ideologies.
    (b) Each school district shall provide instruction to students in
nonelementary grades as designated by such school district on
understanding the negative impacts of communist, fascist and socialist
regimes and ideologies and may use the curriculum, materials and
guidelines developed by the state board of education.
    Sec. 2. K.S.A. 72-3217 is hereby amended to read as follows: 72-
3217. (a) All accredited schools, whether public, private or parochial,
shall provide and give all students a complete course of instruction to
all pupils, in civil government, and United States history, and in
patriotism and the duties of a citizen, suitable to the elementary grades;
in addition thereto,.
    (b) All accredited high schools, whether public, private or
parochial, shall give a course of instruction concerning the government
and institutions of the United States, and, particularly of, the
constitution of the United States; and no. Any student who has not taken
and satisfactorily passed such course shall not be certified as having
completed the course requirements necessary for graduation from high
school.
    (c) (1) All students who enroll in grade nine in any accredited
public, private or parochial high school on or after July 1, 2026, shall
be required to pass an examination on the principles of American
civics. Any student who does not satisfactorily pass such examination
shall not be certified as having completed the course requirements
necessary for graduation from high school.
    (2) Upon request, a student may be administered the examination
required by this subsection at any time after such student has enrolled
in grade seven, and such student may take the examination as often as
necessary to obtain a passing score. Any subsequent examination shall
not have more than five questions that were included in the
immediately preceding examination. At the discretion of the board of
education of the school district or the governing body of any accredited
private or parochial high school, the examination may be administered
as part of the curriculum required under subsection (b).
    (3) The examination required by this subsection shall consist of 20
randomly selected questions taken from the same set of questions
administered by the United States citizenship and immigration services
to applicants for United States citizenship through naturalization. A
student shall correctly answer at least 70% of the questions on such
examination to satisfactorily pass. Examinations shall be administered
in English.
    (4) The applicability of this subsection and the extent to which
accommodations are provided, if any, to a student with an
individualized education program (IEP) shall be governed by such
student's IEP.
    (5) The state board of education may adopt rules and regulations
to implement the provisions of this subsection, including, but not
limited to, providing a model examination for use by any school district
or the governing body of any accredited private or parochial high
school.
    (d) As used in this section, "accredited" means accredited by the
state board of education. "Accredited" includes dual accreditation by
                    HOUSE BILL No. 2412—page 2
the state board of education and an accrediting entity other than the
state board.
    Sec. 3. K.S.A. 72-3217 is hereby repealed.
    Sec. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
I hereby certify that the above BILL originated in the HOUSE, and was
adopted by that body
HOUSE adopted
Conference Committee Report
                                                 Speaker of the House.
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House.
Passed the SENATE
      as amended
SENATE adopted
Conference Committee Report
                                                  President of the Senate.
                                                  Secretary of the Senate.
APPROVED
                                                                Governor.