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HB2412 • 2026

Requiring instruction to provide students with an understanding of communist, fascist and socialist regimes and ideologies and that students pass an American civics examination in order to graduate with a high school diploma.

Requiring instruction to provide students with an understanding of communist, fascist and socialist regimes and ideologies and that students pass an American civics examination in order to graduate with a high school diploma.

Education
Vetoed

The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.

Sponsor
Last action
2026-04-10
Official status
No motion to reconsider vetoed bill; Veto sustained
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requiring instruction to provide students with an understanding of communist, fascist and socialist regimes and ideologies and that students pass an American civics examination in order to graduate with a high school diploma.

Requiring instruction to provide students with an understanding of communist, fascist and socialist regimes and ideologies and that students pass an American civics examination in order to graduate with a high school diploma.

What This Bill Does

  • Requiring instruction to provide students with an understanding of communist, fascist and socialist regimes and ideologies and that students pass an American civics examination in order to graduate with a high school diploma.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-10 House

    No motion to reconsider vetoed bill; Veto sustained

  2. 2026-04-10 House

    Vetoed by Governor; Returned to House on Thursday, April 23, 2026

  3. 2026-04-10 House

    Enrolled and presented to Governor on Monday, April 13, 2026

  4. 2026-04-10 House

    Engrossed on Friday, April 10, 2026

  5. 2026-04-09 House

    Conference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 80, Nay 43, Absent 2

  6. 2026-04-09 House

    Motion to suspend Joint Rule 4 (k) to allow consideration adopted; —

  7. 2026-03-27 Senate

    Conference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 23, Nay 14, Absent 3

  8. 2026-03-27 Senate

    Conference committee report now available

  9. 2026-03-27 Senate

    Conference Committee Report agree to disagree adopted; Sen. Renee Erickson , Sen. Adam Thomas and Sen. Dinah Sykes appointed as second conferees

  10. 2026-03-27 Senate

    Conference committee report now available

Official Summary Text

Requiring instruction to provide students with an understanding of communist, fascist and socialist regimes and ideologies and that students pass an American civics examination in order to graduate with a high school diploma.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL No. 2412
AN A CT 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.