Kansas schools

Senate majority leader’s amendment forbid sports on Sundays, Wednesday evenings

Current law prohibits sexual relations between a student and a "teacher or other person of authority." But the law doesn't currently apply to school resource officers, nurses, bus drivers or other contracted employees.

Under a bill that also mandates teaching students about the dangers of communism and socialism, high school freshmen would be required to take a 100-question exam based on the civics test that prospective U.S. citizens take during the American naturalization process.

The new ban is part of a recent push to reconsider the effects of devices on the developing minds of students.

The bill would require school districts to verify the income of students who qualify for free school lunches. That number determines how much more funding Kansas school districts can receive to serve academically at-risk students.

The bill is part of a recent push to reconsider how screen time affects the developing minds of students.

Kansas state Sen. Brad Starnes, a Republican from Riley and a former district superintendent, wants K-12 public school students to learn about "communist and socialist regimes and ideologies," and take a civics exam to graduate high school.

The governor opposes the bill despite one of its pieces meeting a policy priority.

After enthusiasm swelled behind the idea, the policy has hit several major bumps on its way to becoming law.

Kansas is one of 12 states that haven't passed Erin's Law. Advocates want that to change.