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Session of 2026
HOUSE BILL No. 2415
By Representative McDonald
12-18
AN ACT concerning education; relating to school districts; requiring each
local board of education of a school district to appoint one or more
nonvoting student representatives to such board of education.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the
Kansas youth voice act.
(b) The board of education of each school district shall appoint not
fewer than one student representative to serve in an advisory capacity on
such board. A student representative shall be a student enrolled in and
attending any of the grades 10 through 12 at a school of the school district.
(c) A student representative shall be authorized to:
(1) Attend all open meetings of the board and receive all documents
and materials relating thereto; and
(2) express opinions and advocate.
(d) A student representative shall not:
(1) V ote on matters considered by the board;
(2) attend closed or executive meetings of the board or receive any
documents or materials relating thereto; or
(3) receive any compensation for the work and duties performed by
the student representative.
(e) On or before August 1, 2026, the board of education of each
school district shall appoint a student representative to serve for a term that
ends on July 1, 2027. Thereafter, the board of education of each school
district shall appoint a student representative to serve a term of one year. In
case of a vacancy of a student representative position, the board of
education of a school district shall appoint a successor to fill the vacancy
for the unexpired term. A student may be appointed to serve as a student
representative for not more than a total of two terms, not including any
partial term in which a student was appointed to fill a vacancy.
(f) The board of education of each school district shall establish an
application process to select and appoint a student representative pursuant
to this section. A student who seeks to serve as a student representative
shall submit an application on a form and in the manner prescribed by the
board.
(g) The board of education of each school district shall establish an
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HB 2415 2
orientation process for new student representatives. Such orientation
process shall require the board of education to:
(1) Assign a board member to be the primary point of contact and act
as a liaison between the student representative and the board;
(2) include the student representative in appropriate board trainings
and events; and
(3) provide an overview on the history of the board, a summary of the
typical meeting process, a summary of the actions that the board takes and
information on how communications will be sent to the student
representative.
Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
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