Bill > HB438

This bill mandates the inclusion of instruction on the Civil Rights movement within the social studies academic standards for all grade levels in Kentucky public schools, from elementary through high school, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year. The instruction will cover key aspects such as the principles of natural law and nonviolent resistance that informed leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., the repeal of Jim Crow laws, and the passage of civil rights legislation. It also requires teaching about the destructive nature of hatred based on immutable characteristics, using examples of historical injustices like the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide to reinforce this lesson. The bill also makes an appropriation of $250,000 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to the Kentucky Department of Education to cover the costs of implementing these new requirements, and it declares an emergency to ensure the act takes effect on July 1, 2026, emphasizing the importance of students understanding the Civil Rights movement's impact.

Education

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb438.html