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HB2637 • 2026

Requiring eligible boards of education to consider participation in the community eligibility provision, providing a financial hardship exception from such participation and requiring the state department of education to assist school districts seeking such participation.

Requiring eligible boards of education to consider participation in the community eligibility provision, providing a financial hardship exception from such participation and requiring the state department of education to assist school districts seeking such participation.

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Last action
2026-04-10
Official status
Died in Committee
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 eligible boards of education to consider participation in the community eligibility provision, providing a financial hardship exception from such participation and requiring the state department of education to assist school districts seeking such participation.

Requiring eligible boards of education to consider participation in the community eligibility provision, providing a financial hardship exception from such participation and requiring the state department of education to assist school districts seeking such participation.

What This Bill Does

  • Requiring eligible boards of education to consider participation in the community eligibility provision, providing a financial hardship exception from such participation and requiring the state department of education to assist school districts seeking such participation.

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

    Died in Committee

  2. 2026-02-12 House

    Hearing: Thursday, February 12, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 218-N event

  3. 2026-02-03 House

    Referred to House Committee on Education

  4. 2026-02-03 House

    Introduced

Official Summary Text

Requiring eligible boards of education to consider participation in the community eligibility provision, providing a financial hardship exception from such participation and requiring the state department of education to assist school districts seeking such participation.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Session of 2026
HOUSE BILL No. 2637
By Representatives Essex, Bohi, Esau, Stiens and L. Williams
2-3
AN ACT concerning education; relating to school districts; requiring
eligible boards of education to consider participation in the community
eligibility program; providing a financial hardship exception to such
participation; requiring the state department of education to assist
school districts seeking such participation.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. (a) The board of education of each school district shall
determine the number of students enrolled in and attending school in each
school of such district who qualifies for free meals under the national
school lunch program. School districts may provide appropriate instruction
and assistance to students and families as necessary to ensure accurate
student participation in such program.
(b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), after making the
determination provided in subsection (a), if a school district or school of
the school district is eligible to participate in the community eligibility
provision of 42 U.S.C. § 1759a, the board of education of such school
district shall consider such participation. If such participation is so desired
and would not cause financial hardship as provided in paragraph (2), such
board of education shall adopt by majority vote a resolution to officially
affirm such participation.
(2) If participation in the community eligibility provision of 42
U.S.C. § 1759a would cause financial hardship to a school district, the
board of education of such school district shall demonstrate the financial
hardship in an open public meeting of such board and adopt by majority
vote a resolution declaring that such school district or school of a school
district is unable to participate in the community eligibility provision.
(c) The state department of education shall assist any school district
with one or more schools that qualify for the community eligibility
provision in such school district's efforts to participate in the community
eligibility provision of 42 U.S.C. § 1759a.
Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
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