26RS SB 26

Senate Bill 26

Actions

Last Action	01/06/26: to Committee on Committees (S)
Title	AN ACT relating to discrimination in educational settings and declaring an emergency.
Bill Documents	Introduced
Bill Request Number	1149
Sponsors	L. Tichenor, S. West, G. Boswell, D. Douglas, S. Funke Frommeyer, R. Girdler, S. Madon, S. Meredith, S. Rawlings, A. Reed, G. Williams, M. Wilson
Summary of Original Version	Create new sections of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; prohibit a school district, public school, or cooperative board from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual's religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; prohibit the Kentucky Department of Education, a school district, a public school, or a cooperative board from expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion; prohibit the department, a school district, a public school, or a cooperative board from soliciting statements on an applicant's experience with or views on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin, from providing differential treatment or benefits to an individual based on the individual's participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion training, and from disseminating or profiting from any research, work product, or material that promotes or justifies discriminatory concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion; establish exclusions; authorize the Attorney General to bring an action for a writ of mandamus to compel the department, a school district, a public school or a cooperative board to comply; create a cause of action to permit a qualified individual to file a civil action against a the department, a school district, a cooperative board, or a public school for injunctive relief arising from a violation of this Act; permit recovery of monetary damages for a willful and intentional violation; waive sovereign, governmental, and qualified immunity; prohibit retaliation; require each public school district and cooperative board to provide the State Treasurer the name, job title, duty station, and compensation information of each employee of the school district or cooperative board each month for publication; amend KRS 161.030 to require certain certification applicants to complete an approved professional development program on Kentucky education law; amend KRS 158.4416 and 158.4414 to conform; amend KRS 160.380 to remove language requiting targeted minority recruitment; amend various KRS sections to conform; repeal KRS 156.500 and 161.165; require school districts and cooperative boards to follow designated procedures when implementing this Act including termination or transfer of certain employees; require the Kentucky Department of Education to eliminate the Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging and follow designated procedures when implementing this Act including termination or transfer of certain employees; EFFECTIVE, in part, February 1, 2027; EMERGENCY.
Index Headings of Original Version	Attorney General - Public education agencies, use of resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion, enforcement Children And Minors - Public education, diversity, equity and inclusion activities, prohibition Civil Actions - Public education agencies, differential treatment or benefits on the basis of protected class Civil Actions - Public education agencies, use of resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion Civil Rights - Public education, diversity, equity and inclusion activities, prohibition Claims - Public education agencies, use of resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion, cause of action Cooperatives - Educational cooperatives, diversity, equity, and inclusion activities, prohibition, penalties Education, Elementary And Secondary - Public education agencies, employee compensation, publication Education, Elementary And Secondary - Public education, diversity, equity and inclusion activities, omnibus bill Education, Finance - Public education, diversity, equity and inclusion activities, omnibus bill Effective Dates, Delayed - Public education agencies, diversity, equity, and inclusion civil actions, February 1, 2027 Effective Dates, Emergency - Public education, diversity, equity and inclusion activities, omnibus bill Peace Officers And Law Enforcement - School resource officers, diversity and bias training, prohibition Race Relations - Public education, diversity, equity and inclusion activities, omnibus bill Reports Mandated - Public education, diversity, equity, and inclusion activities, compliance reports State Agencies - Department of Education, diversity, equity, and inclusion activities, prohibition State Agencies - Department of Education, Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, elimination Teachers - Certification, out-of-state candidates, professional development on Kentucky law, requirement Teachers - Public education, diversity, equity and inclusion activities, omnibus bill Treasurer - Public education agencies, employee compensation, publication