Education

This bill is a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives that urges the U.S. Congress to work toward eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. It argues that education is a state responsibility and claims the federal department has caused overreach through regulations and mandates without improving student reading scores. The text supports returning control of education to states and local communities, asserting this would allow for more efficient use of taxpayer money and policies that better reflect local values. Because this is a non-binding resolution expressing support for a federal goal rather than creating new laws, it does not directly change policy or affect specific groups immediately.

SCR 22 - This concurrent resolution urges the United States Congress to fully cooperate with federal efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. This concurrent resolution is similar to HR 5494 (2026). OLIVIA SHANNON

SB 1805 - Under this act, certain school districts shall no longer receive hold-harmless state aid payments or Small Schools Grant payments. Additionally, certain school districts shall have their foundation formula payments calculated using a new definition of the term "local effort" that is based on 2024 property values and local revenue from fiscal year 2025, rather than the 2004 property values and fiscal year 2005 revenue as provided under current law. The following school districts shall not receive hold-harmless state aid payments or Small Schools Grant payments: Northwestern, Keytesville, Blackwater, Cooper County, Otterville, Pilot Grove, and Higbee. (Subsection 1) The following school districts shall receive foundation formula payments calculated using a definition of the term "local effort" based on 2024 property values and fiscal year 2025 local revenue receipts, as provided in the act: Prairie Home, Brunswick, New Franklin, and Glasgow. Additionally, these school districts shall not receive state aid under hold harmless adjustments or the Small Schools Grant. (Subsection 2) The following school districts shall receive foundation formula payments calculated using a definition of the term "local effort" based on 2024 property values and fiscal year 2025 local revenue receipts, as provided in the act: Salisbury, Boonville, Fayette, and Westran. None of these school districts shall receive state aid under hold harmless adjustments. (Subsection 3) This act is identical to SB 1736 (2026). OLIVIA SHANNON

The bill's abstract states it "creates and modifies provisions relating to access to pornographic materials" but provides no specific details about its content, mechanisms, or affected parties. Without additional text describing the actual provisions (e.g., age restrictions, online filtering requirements, or enforcement methods), a substantive summary cannot be generated. The current abstract only indicates the bill's general topic area, not its concrete policy changes. Therefore, no meaningful summary of the bill's provisions or impact can be provided based on the available information.

SB 1276 - This act creates new provisions relating to prohibiting discrimination in public entities. Public Schools (Sections 105.1701 and 105.1702) The governing body of a public school, including an elementary school, high school, or charter school, shall ensure that the following information is displayed on the school website in a publicly accessible location: • All training materials, including materials for instructors, concerning or used for staff and faculty training on all matters of nondiscrimination, diversity, equity, inclusion, race, ethnicity, sex, or bias, or any combination of these concepts with other concepts; • All instructional or curricular materials concerning nondiscrimination, diversity, equity, inclusion, race, ethnicity, sex, or bias, or any combination of these concepts with other concepts; and • Any procedures for the documentation, review, or approval of the training, instructional, or curricular materials used for staff and faculty training or student instruction at the school, including by the principal, curriculum administrators, or other teachers. Each state agency and political subdivision shall post on its website in a publicly accessible location all training materials, including materials for instructors, for training provided to employees of the agency or political subdivision on all matters of nondiscrimination, diversity, equity, inclusion, race, ethnicity, sex, or bias, or any combination of these concepts with other concepts, except any materials that the agency or political subdivision is required to keep confidential. A public school, including an elementary school, high school, or charter school, state agency, or political subdivision shall not: • Require or otherwise compel a student, teacher, administrator, or other employee to affirm, adopt, or adhere to any belief or concept that: • One race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior to another race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin; • An individual, by virtue of his or her race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin should be blamed for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin; or • An individual's moral character is necessarily determined, in whole or in part, by his or her race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. • Use public funds to contract with, hire, or otherwise engage consultants, trainers, or other persons to: • Direct or otherwise compel a student, teacher, administrator, or other employee to affirm, adopt, or adhere to any belief or concept prohibited by this act; or • Advocate concepts prohibited by this act, unless it meets certain exceptions as described in the act; or • Require a student, teacher, administrator, or other employee to attend or participate in a training, seminar, continuing education, orientation, or therapy that promotes any concept prohibited by this act. Proxy Discrimination (Sections 160.011, 160.2800, and 174.800) This act establishes provisions relating to proxy discrimination in educational institutions. The act defines "proxy discrimination" as the use of a facially neutral factor in student admissions that correlates with race, sex, color, ethnicity, ancestry, or national origin for the purpose of discriminating against or granting a preference to any individual or group on the basis of such characteristics. Proxy discrimination includes the use of certain factors described in the act, such as zip codes or socioeconomic indicators, which may be used individually or in combination with other factors for the purposes of discriminating against or granting a preference to any individual or group. "Traditional academic success factors" include standardized test results, grades, extracurricular activities, and academic recommendations. Under the act, any public educational institution with a selective admission process, including public schools, charter schools, and state colleges and universities, shall publish a comprehensive list of all factors considered or used in the admission process. The list shall include academic qualifications, extracurricular activities, personal essays, letters of recommendation, and other factors set forth in the act. The list shall be made publicly available on the official website of each educational institution and shall be easily accessible to prospective students, parents, and other interested parties. No educational institution or person making admission decisions for the institution shall discriminate or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin; nor shall any such institution or person engage in proxy discrimination or seek information on students' race, sex, color, ethnicity, ancestry, or national origin during the application process unless expressly required by federal law, as provided in the act. In any civil action challenging any instance of proxy discrimination, the person bringing the action has the burden of establishing a prima facie case of proxy discrimination through evidence that a particular factor or combination of factors other than traditional academic success factors was selected at least in part for the purpose of discriminating against or granting a preference to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, ancestry, or national origin. The defendant has the burden of proving that the selection of the challenged factor or combination thereof was solely for a lawful purpose and not for the purpose of discriminating against or granting a preference to any individual or group. The use of traditional academic success factors by any educational institution or employee presumptively does not constitute proxy discrimination. To challenge the use of traditional academic success factors, the plaintiff has the burden of proving that the factors were manipulated, weighted, or otherwise used with the specific intent of discriminating against or granting a preference to an individual or group in violation of the act. Educational institutions shall have a grace period of nine months after the effective date of the act (or until May 28, 2027), to comply with the requirements relating to disclosure of factors considered in the admission process. Noncompliance with this act may result in penalties, including fines and potential loss of public funding, as provided in the act. Missouri Human Rights Act (Section 213.136) The act prohibits the state, including any political subdivision thereof, or any public university system, community college district, or public school district, from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, or sex in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. This act contains a severability clause. SCOTT SVAGERA

HB 3221 prohibits state funding for college degree programs classified as "low-earning outcome" under federal law (Section 84001 of Pub. L. 119-21). It directly affects public colleges and students enrolled in these specific programs by blocking state financial aid, operational funding, grants, and facilities support for them. The bill requires the state higher education board to annually review federal determinations of such programs and enforce the funding ban. It also mandates yearly public reports tracking which programs are excluded, enforcement actions, and fiscal impacts on state budgets. This policy change targets funding allocation, not program availability or student eligibility.

HB 3482 would change eligibility rules for Missouri's Access Missouri financial aid program. It requires applicants to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, Missouri residents, and enrolled full-time at approved schools, while prohibiting aid for theology/divinity degree programs. The bill also disqualifies students convicted of certain crimes (matching federal student aid rules) and limits total aid to 10 semesters or 15 quarters, with renewal requiring a 2.5 GPA. These changes would directly affect Missouri students applying for or renewing this state-funded aid. The bill is pending in the House as of its February 2026 introduction.

HB 3250 requires public schools to create a policy mandating written parental permission for students to leave class during school hours to participate in protests. The policy must specify each protest event's location, topic, and subject matter, and permission is required for every individual protest - not a blanket approval. Schools failing to obtain this permission risk losing per-pupil funding for each violation. This directly affects students, parents, and school districts by changing how student participation in protests is managed during school time.

HB 3309 prohibits protests or demonstrations on public school property during scheduled instructional time if they materially disrupt school operations. It directly affects students (who may be marked absent for leaving class), teachers (who could face licensure revocation for facilitating walkouts), and school districts (which risk losing attendance funding for allowing protests). The bill allows discipline only if protests disrupt school work, infringe on others' rights, or violate neutral time/place/manner policies, while preserving students' First Amendment rights for peaceful expression outside class hours. It explicitly prohibits viewpoint-based suppression and protects lawful activities under state/federal law. This proposed bill (introduced February 2026) aims to maintain school order during instruction but retains core free speech protections.

SB 1617 - This act establishes the "Accountability for Low-Earning Outcome Degrees in Higher Education Act of 2026", which requires the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to adopt rules prohibiting state funds from being allocated or expended for academic degree programs that satisfy the definition of a low-earning outcome program under federal law. The restricted funding categories include, but are not limited to, student financial aid, base operational funding, separately appropriated aid or grants, and capital or facilities funding. The Coordinating Board for Higher Education shall annually review updated federal determinations of low-earning outcome programs and adopt rules in accordance with the act. Additionally, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education shall submit an annual and publicly available report to the General Assembly documenting the programs prohibited from receiving state aid, the enforcement of such prohibitions, and the estimated fiscal impact due to the prohibitions. OLIVIA SHANNON