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Kansas state law makes school boards responsible for governing and managing public school districts in the state. This article details the powers and duties Kansas law grants to school boards for governing school districts and the constraints on that authority with regard to certain topics.
HIGHLIGHTS
School districts in Kansas are encouraged to ban cellphone use in schools for the entire school day. Districts are not required to follow this recommendation.[1]
Kansas statute requires certain curriculum topics such as the duties of citizenship, patriotism, and disability history and awareness, among others.[2]
Kansas is one of 36 states that grant school boards at least some authority over whether charter schools are issued in their district.
Types of legal and contractual constraints on school board authority
This page presents the results from Ballotpedia research on school board authority and constraints on that authority in all 50 states as of 2024. School board authority comes from state constitutions and state statutes and can be interpreted or specified by state regulations or court decisions. In addition to authority over district budgets, the selection of a superintendent, and administrative responsibilities, school boards have varying levels of authority over district policy on other topics depending on the state and district.
There are several sources of legal and contractual constraints on school board policy-making authority which also vary by state or by district.
State laws commonly restrict or mandate school board policies on certain topics.
Parents' Bills of Rights, which at least 24 states have in statute to some degree, limit the policies school boards are allowed to pass.
State rules, guidance, and funding incentives can constrain, mandate, or influence school board policies. These include regulation from state education commissions and superintendents, executive orders from governors, or grant conditions.
Federal and state court rulings can dictate whether or not school district policies are compatible with state law or federal law.
The federal government, largely through its Department of Education, can promulgate regulations or guidance that influence district policy or make funding contingent on certain policies.
Collective bargaining agreements between school districts and teacher unions can create contractual constraints on the policies school boards can pass.
State school board associations can influence school board policy or, in some cases. enter into contracts with school boards that can limit school board policy.
Constraints on Kansas school boards' authority. This section provides an overview of constraints on the school boards' authority in Kansas. It contains information on the constraints by the following topics:
Kansas Statute KSA 72-1072 creates school district boards and gives them authority to operate according to state law:[3]
“
72-1072. Status of boards of education of unified school districts. The governing body of a unified school district is and shall be a board of education composed of seven (7) members, except as is specifically otherwise provided in K.S.A. 72-1210. The members may be elected by any combination of method of election and voting plan authorized by law, and shall serve for a term of four (4) years.[4]
”
KSA 72-1210 creates the Fort Leavenworth school district board of education, which has three members as opposed to seven and serves the Fort Leavenworth military reservation.[5]
Kansas school boards' powers and duties
Kansas public school boards of directors are given broad authority and three specific duties or powers to administer the public schools in Kansas. In addition to budget-related and fiscal duties, school property and facilities management, and administrative responsibilities, the specific powers and duties include:
deciding board meeting times and calling special meetings,
proscribe courses of study for the school year and make rules for how content is taught, and
provide legal counsel to school employees who have been sued under specific circumstances.
The list of powers and duties school district boards are charged with appears in KS Stat § 72-1138 and are as follows:[6]
“
(a) The board shall meet at least once each month. On or after the second Monday in January and before February 1 of each year, or at a later date during that calendar year if so determined by the board at the first meeting of the board on or after the second Monday in January of each year, the board shall adopt a resolution specifying a regular meeting time of the board and the regular hour of commencement of the meeting, as well as the day of the week and the week of the month. Such resolution also shall specify the alternative date and time of any meeting if the regular meeting date occurs on a Sunday or on a legal holiday or on a holiday specified by the board. Such resolution also shall specify the regular meeting place of the board and may specify that any regular meeting may be adjourned to another time and place. If the board cancels a regularly scheduled meeting because of an emergency, within 24 hours of such cancellation, the board shall establish and give notice of the new meeting date and time. Special meetings may be called at any time by the president of the board or by joint action of any three members of the board. Unless waived, written notice, stating the time and place of any special meeting and the purpose for which called, shall be given each member of the board at least two days in advance of the special meeting and no business other than that stated in the notice shall be transacted at such meeting. A majority of the full membership of the board shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting any business of the school district, and the vote of a majority of the full membership of the board shall be required for the passage of any motion or resolution. Any member who abstains from voting shall be counted as having voted against the motion or resolution. If a member announces a conflict of interest with regard to the issue, the member may leave the meeting until the voting on the issue is concluded, and the member who abstains from voting thereby shall not be counted as having voted.
(b) Except as otherwise provided by law, the board shall have and may exercise the same powers and authorities as were immediately prior to this act conferred uniformly upon boards of education in cities of the first class, and, in addition thereto, the powers and authority expressly conferred by law.
(c) The board shall have authority to prescribe courses of study for each year of the school program and to adopt rules and regulations for teaching in the school district and general government thereof, and to approve and adopt suitable textbooks and study material for use therein subject to the plans, methods, rules and regulations of the state board of education.
(d) The board may provide legal counsel at district expense to any members of the board of education, or school district officers or employees who are sued in situations relating to and arising out of the performance of their office or employment. No teacher or other employment contract shall make reference to or incorporate the provisions of this subsection, nor shall the provisions of this subsection be construed to be any part of the consideration of employment of any teacher, officer or other employee of the board.
(e) (1) The board may transact all school district business and adopt policies that the board deems appropriate to perform its constitutional duty to maintain, develop and operate local public schools.
(2) The power granted by this subsection shall not be construed to relieve a board from compliance with state law.
The power granted by this subsection shall not be construed to relieve any other unit of government of its duties and responsibilities that are prescribed by law, nor to create any responsibility on the part of a school district to assume the duties or responsibilities that are required of another unit of government.
(3) The board shall exercise the power granted by this subsection by resolution of the board of education.
[4]
”
Constraints on Kansas school boards' authority
This section tracks constraints on school boards specific to Kansas as of September 2024. It features constraints on school boards' authority from state law, collective bargaining agreements, and Parents' Bills of Rights.
Constraint on Kansas school boards' authority by topic
This section features constraints on Kansas school boards' authority on policies related to the following topics:
Kansas requires the following specific topics to be included in each district's curriculum:[2]
Kansas history,
civil government,
duties of citizenship,
health and hygiene,
patriotism,
the US Constitution,
character development,
personal financial literacy,
disability history and awareness,
fetal development (required only in courses or other instruction that addresses human growth, human development, or human sexuality)[7]
computer science.
Curriculum restrictions
Ballotpedia could not identify any curricular content prohibited by state statutes, regulations, case law, or collective bargaining agreements.
Federal law and guidance
Federal executive orders:
President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order (E.O.) on January 29, 2025, entitled Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, prohibiting federal funding that directly or indirectly facilitates K-12 instruction regarding what the bill calls gender or equity ideology. It directs federal executive agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, to create a plan to relinquish federal funds from school or teacher certification programs that include what the E.O. called gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology. The order defined discriminatory equity ideology as ideology that treats individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups rather than as individuals and minimizes agency, merit, and capability in favor of immoral generalizations.[8]
Book bans, removals, and restrictions
The Kansas State Board of Education establishes guidelines, regulations, and rules for school boards with regard to school library materials. However, school boards do have the authority to select the books or supplemental instructional material. Ballotpedia could not identify rules or regulations regarding school library materials.[9][10]
“
In general, but not by way of limitation, consonant with other applicable statutory provisions, the state board of education shall:
(a) Adopt and maintain standards, criteria, guidelines or rules and regulations for the following:
(1) School libraries and other educational materials with the exception of textbooks;
(2) courses of study and curriculum;
(3) accreditation of schools including elementary and secondary, public and nonpublic;
(4) certification of administrators, teachers, counselors, school nurses and supervisors of school districts and of the state department of education and of teachers and administrators of nonpublic schools; and
(b) administer the laws of this state concerning the matters named in this section and all other matters relating to general supervision of the public schools and institutions under supervision of the state board of education.
[4]
”
Case law:
The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed local school boards' authority to remove school books in Island Trees Sch. Dist. v. Pico by Pico in 1982 but held that school library books are distinct from curricular books, which school boards have more authority to regulate. The ruling held that school boards are charged with inculcating community values and may make curricular decisions accordingly. In Zykan v. Warsaw Community School Corp. in 1980, the Supreme Court held that school boards had discretionary power over curriculum, textbooks, and other educational matters but could not impose religious creeds or "permanently the student’s ability to investigate matters that arise in the natural course of intellectual inquiry,” according to the opinion.[11][12][13]
Federal guidance
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights rescinded all guidance against the removal of books and no longer employed a coordinator to investigate local district book removals as of January 24, 2025. The Department said they believed removing books from school libraries was a question of parental and community judgment, not civil rights, and that the office had no role as it related to book removal.[14]
Parental notification
Ballotpedia could not identify any parental notification requirements in Kansas statutes, regulations, case law, or state-wide collective bargaining agreements as of October 2024.
Case law: The United States Supreme Court ruled in Mahmoud v. Taylor on June 27, 2025, that Montgomery County Board of Education's introduction of LGBTQ+ related storybooks, along with its decision to withhold opt outs, placed an unconstitutional burden on the parents’ rights to the free exercise of their religion.[15]
The board of education of any school district may suspend or expel, or by regulation authorize any certificated employee or committee of certificated employees to suspend or expel, any pupil guilty of any of the following:
(a) Willful violation of any published regulation for student conduct adopted or approved by the board of education;
(b) conduct which substantially disrupts, impedes or interferes with the operation of any public school;
(c) conduct which endangers the safety of others or which substantially impinges upon or invades the rights of others at school, on school property, or at a school supervised activity;
(d) conduct which, if the pupil is an adult, constitutes the commission of a felony or, if the pupil is a juvenile, would constitute the commission of a felony if committed by an adult;
(e) conduct at school, on school property, or at a school supervised activity which, if the pupil is an adult, constitutes the commission of a misdemeanor or, if the pupil is a juvenile, would constitute the commission of a misdemeanor if committed by an adult; or
(f) disobedience of an order of a teacher, peace officer, school security officer or other school authority when such disobedience can reasonably be anticipated to result in disorder, disruption or interference with the operation of any public school or substantial and material impingement upon or invasion of the rights of others.
[4]
”
Federal guidance
President Donald Trump (R) issued an Executive Order (E.O.) titled Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies on April 23, 2025, that required the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, to issue guidance local educational agencies (LEAs) and State educational agencies (SEAs) regarding "school discipline and their obligations not to engage in racial discrimination under Title VI in all contexts, including school discipline," according to the order. The first Trump administration rescinded guidance issued in 2014 under the Obama administration that suggested that higher rates of discipline for racial minorities could be evidence of discrimination and could cause schools to lose federal funding. Trump's 2025 E.O. argued that the guidance "effectively required schools to discriminate on the basis of race by imposing discipline based on racial characteristics, rather than on objective behavior alone." Though the guidance was rescinded in 2018, the U.S. Department of Education continued to collect data regarding the racial breakdown of disciplinary actions taken across the country. Trump's 2025 E.O. prohibits schools from engaging in what it called racial discrimination in the application of school discipline.[17]
Kansas is one of 42 states in which school boards do not have authority over the timing of school board elections because state or municipal laws determine school board election dates.
Click here to read about the laws governing school board elections in Kansas.
Ballotpedia could not identify any statute pertaining to intradistrict school choice in Kansas.
Kansas statute § 72-3123 mandates interdistrict school choice, requiring school district boards to admit nonresident students to enroll in their schools. The law took effect in the 2024-2025 school year, and requires school idstrict boars to determine enrollment capacities and establishes enrollment criteria school boards must follow:[18]
“
72-3123. School attendance for nonresident students; determination of capacity by the school district; application for open seats; priorities for acceptance; children who are homeless; tuition and fees prohibited; limitations on transfer students; transportation not required; reporting; audits.
(a) Beginning in school year 2024-2025, the board of education of any school district shall permit nonresident students to enroll in and attend the schools of the district if such school district has open seats as determined pursuant to this section.
(b) Each school district shall determine capacity in each school of the school district for the following school year as follows:
(1) For kindergarten and grades one through eight, the classroom student-teacher ratio in each grade level; and
(2) for grades nine through 12, the student-teacher ratio for each school building or program in each school building, including, but not limited to, advanced placement or international baccalaureate programs.
(c) (1) On or before May 1 of each year, each school board shall determine for each grade level in each school building of the school district for the next succeeding school year the:
(A) Capacity as determined pursuant to subsection (b);
(B) number of students expected to attend school in the school district; and
(C) number of open seats available to nonresident students.
(2) On or before June 1 of each year, each school district shall publish on such school district's website the number of open seats available to nonresident students in each grade level for each school building of the school district for the next succeeding school year.
(3) From January 1 through June 15, each school district shall accept applications from nonresident students who are seeking to enroll in and attend the school district in the next succeeding school year. Applications shall be on a form and in a manner determined by the school district.
(4) If the number of applications for a grade level in a school building is less than the number of available seats for such grade level in such school building, the nonresident students shall be accepted for enrollment and attendance at such school district. If the number of applications for a grade level in a school building is greater than the number of available seats for such grade level in such school building, the school district shall randomly select nonresident students using a confidential lottery process. Such process shall be completed on or before July 15 of each year.
(5) The school district shall provide to the parent or person acting as parent of a nonresident student who was not accepted for or denied enrollment at such school district the reason for the nonacceptance or denial and an explanation of the nonresident student selection process on or before July 30 of each year.
(6) If a school district denies an application of a nonresident student due to the school district deeming the nonresident student as not in good standing, the parent or person acting as parent of such student may appeal such denial to the school district board of education.
(d) (1) Subject to capacity, school districts shall give priority to any sibling of a nonresident student who is enrolled in and attending such school district or who is accepted to enroll in and attend such school district. Priority shall be given when the nonresident student is first accepted and, if necessary, at any other time the school district considers transfer applications. Any such sibling shall not be subject to the open seat lottery.
(2) Subject to capacity, school districts shall give priority to any nonresident student who is a military student as defined in K.S.A. 72-5139, and amendments thereto. Priority shall be given when the military student is first accepted and, if necessary, at any other time the school district considers transfer applications. Any such military student shall not be subject to the open seat lottery.
(3) Any child who is in the custody of the department for children and families and who is living in the home of a nonresident student who transfers may attend school in the receiving school district.
(4) Any nonresident student who has a parent or person acting as parent employed by a school district shall be permitted to enroll in and attend such school district as if the student is a resident of the school district. Any such student shall not be subject to the open-seat lottery established pursuant to subsection (c) when enrolling in and attending the school district where the parent or person acting as parent is employed.
(5) Any child who is experiencing homelessness shall be permitted to enroll in and attend the school district of origin or the school district of residence.
(e) A school district shall not:
(1) Charge tuition or fees to any nonresident student who transfers to such school district pursuant to this section except fees that are otherwise charged to every student enrolled in and attending school in the district; or
(2) accept or deny a nonresident student transfer based on ethnicity, national origin, gender, income level, disabling condition, proficiency in the English language, measure of achievement, aptitude or athletic ability.
(f) (1) A nonresident student accepted for enrollment and attendance at a receiving school district on or after June 1, 2024, shall be permitted to continue such enrollment and attendance in such school district until such student graduates from high school, unless such student is deemed as no longer in good standing pursuant to subsection (g).
(2) A nonresident student who was enrolled in and attended a school district of nonresidence during school year 2023-2024 shall be permitted to continue such enrollment and attendance in such school district until such student graduates from high school, unless such student is deemed as no longer in good standing pursuant to subsection (g).
(3) A nonresident student who was enrolled in and attended a school district of residence during school year 2023-2024 shall be permitted to continue such enrollment and attendance in such school district until such student graduates from high school, unless such student is deemed as no longer in good standing pursuant to subsection (g).
(g) A receiving school district may deem any nonresident student as not in good standing in accordance with such school district's nonresident transfer policy, including any nonresident student who has not previously attended or been enrolled in the receiving school district. If a school district deems a nonresident student as not in good standing, such school district may deny such student's enrollment or continued enrollment in the school district. Prior to making any determination to deem a nonresident student as not in good standing, a district shall consider a student's status as a homeless child and the resulting factors of homelessness on such student's standing.
(h) A student may always enroll at any time in the school district where such student resides.
(i) Except for a child in the custody of the department for children and families or a child who is experiencing homelessness, a nonresident student shall not transfer more than once per school year to one or more receiving school districts pursuant to the provisions of this section.
(j) Neither a resident school district nor a receiving school district shall be required to provide transportation to nonresident students unless otherwise required by applicable law. If space is available on school district transportation vehicles, a school district may provide nonresident students an in-district bus stop where transportation may be provided by such school district to and from such bus stop and the school for such nonresident students. A school district shall ensure that transportation for nonresident homeless students is provided comparably to that of housed students.
(k) Each school district board of education shall submit annually to the state department of education the school district's policy adopted pursuant to K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-3126, and amendments thereto, the number of nonresident student transfers approved and denied by such board in each grade level and whether the denials were based on capacity or in accordance with the policy adopted pursuant to K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-3126, and amendments thereto. The state department of education shall collect and report such data on such department's website and make such data available to the legislative division of post audit.
(l) (1) Each year, the state department of education, as part of the department's enrollment audit, shall audit the nonresident student capacity and enrollment.
(2) In calendar year 2027, subject to a request made by the house standing committee on K-12 education budget or the senate standing committee on education, or any successor committees, the legislative post audit committee shall direct the legislative division of post audit to conduct an audit of nonresident student transfers pursuant to this section. If requested, such audit shall be reported to the legislative post audit committee on or before January 15, 2028, and subsequently presented to the house standing committee on K-12 education budget and the senate standing committee on education, or any successor committees.
(m) Nothing in this section shall be construed to exempt any nonresident student who transfers to a receiving school district pursuant to this section from the policies and requirements of the activities association referred to in K.S.A. 72-7114, and amendments thereto.
(n) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any:
(1) School located on a military installation as defined in K.S.A. 72-8268, and amendments thereto; or
(2) virtual school as defined in K.S.A. 72-3712, and amendments thereto.[4]
Kansas is one of 36 states that grant school boards at least some authority over whether charter schools are issued in their district.
The state guidelines for charter petition applications states that petitions for a new charter school are to be submitted to the district board of education and Kansas Statutes § 72-4207 gives school boards the authority to authorize the establishment of charter schools.[19][20]
“
The board of education of any school district may authorize the establishment of a nonsectarian charter school as a means of providing new opportunities for:
(a) Improved pupil learning;
(b) increased learning opportunities for pupils in special areas of emphasis in accord with themes established for charter schools;
(c) creative and unconventional instructional techniques and structures;
(d) new professional vistas for teachers who operate such schools or who choose to work in them; and
(e) freedom from conventional program constraints and mandates.[4]
Kansas is one of four states with laws or policies encouraging school boards to pass policies limiting cellphone use for their districts.
On December 11, 2024, the State Board of Education voted to approve the recommendations of an education task force that said districts should prohibit students from using cellphones during the school day. Districts were encouraged but not required to adhere to the recommendations.[1]
Collective bargaining agreements
Teacher union collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) can constrain school board authority. Teacher CBAs are agreements between a school district and a teachers’ union to establish rights and other contract details for public school employees. CBAs do not have the force of law, but are contractually binding for a set period of time. Within the time set out in the agreement, the school board must comply with the stipulations that were agreed to in the contract. In this way, CBAs can constrain school board authority by giving teachers authority over curriculum, prohibiting school boards from banning books, and establishing certain student or parental rights. They can also determine rights and protections for educators, and conditions for students (such as required recess periods or the amount of standardized testing), among other provisions.
CBAs vary greatly within and across states in size, topics covered, and constraints they put on school boards. Not all states allow teachers to bargain collectively. As of January 2022, 35 states and the District of Columbia guaranteed K-12 teachers some right to bargain collectively, and six states prohibited public-sector employee collective bargaining by law, which includes public school teachers. The other nine states have no statewide bargaining framework, but local jurisdictions within these states can grant bargaining rights if they choose.[21][22]
Kansas school boards are authorized to engage in collective bargaining agreements with school employees, which can constrain their authority:[23]
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72-2228. Rights and duties of boards of education reserved; recognition and negotiation required; terms and conditions subject to negotiation; applicability of open meetings law, exceptions; strikes not authorized; adoption of agreements by reference.
(a) Nothing in this act, or the act of which this section is amendatory, shall be construed to change or affect any right or duty conferred or imposed by law upon any board of education, except that boards of education are required to comply with this act, and the act of which this section is amendatory, in recognizing professional employees' organizations, and when such an organization is recognized, the board of education and the professional employees' organization shall enter into professional negotiations on request of either party at any time during the school year prior to issuance or renewal of the annual teachers' contracts. Notices to negotiate on new items or to amend an existing contract must be filed on or before March 31 in any school year by either party, such notices shall be in writing and delivered to the chief administrative officer of the board of education or to the representative of the bargaining unit and shall contain in reasonable and understandable detail the purpose of the new or amended items desired.
(b) (1) Upon entering negotiations pursuant to this section, the parties shall negotiate compensation of professional employees and hours and amounts of work. In addition, each party may select not more than three additional terms and conditions of professional service from the list described in K.S.A. 72-2218(l)(1), and amendments thereto, for negotiation. All other terms and conditions of professional service described in K.S.A. 72-2218(l)(1), and amendments thereto, shall be deemed permissive topics for negotiation and shall only be negotiated upon the mutual agreement of the parties.
(2) For purposes of this section, the term "compensation" means salary and wages, supplemental contract salaries and pay for overtime.
(3) The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to negotiations between a board of education and a professional employees' organization negotiating for the purpose of reaching their first agreement.
(c) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this subsection, every meeting, conference, consultation and discussion between a professional employees' organization or its representatives and a board of education or its representatives during the course of professional negotiation and every hearing conducted by the secretary under K.S.A. 72-2231, and amendments thereto, for determination of the question of the existence of impasse is subject to the provisions of the Kansas open meetings law, and any amendments or supplements thereto. Meetings, conferences, consultations and discussions held by the secretary under K.S.A. 72-2231, and amendments thereto, for investigation of the question of the existence of impasse, and meetings, conferences, consultations and discussions held during the course of and in connection with, and the meeting required at the conclusion of, impasse resolution proceedings, as provided for in K.S.A. 72-2232 and 72-2233, and amendments thereto, are specifically made exempt from the provisions of the Kansas open meetings law, and any amendments or supplements thereto.
(d) Nothing in this act, or the act of which this section is amendatory, shall be construed to authorize a strike by professional employees.
(e) Any agreement lawfully made under the provisions of this act, or the act of which this section is amendatory, may be adopted by reference and made a part of the employment contract between any professional employee of the applicable negotiating unit and a board of education for a period of not to exceed three years.
(f) Those individuals selected by the board of education and the professional employees' organization to conduct negotiations pursuant to this act shall complete training on conducting negotiations each year. The content and format of the training for these individuals shall be determined by the respective party each individual represents in negotiations.
[4]
The statute holds that parents have the right to control the care and custody of their children, among other provisions. The text is as follows:[24]
“
(a) Nothing in this act shall be construed to:
(1) Impair the fundamental right of every parent to control the care and custody of such parent's minor children, including, but not limited to, control over education, discipline, religious and moral instruction, health, medical care, welfare, place of habitation, counseling and psychological and emotional well-being of such minor children as set forth in the laws and constitution of the state of Kansas and of the United States;
This section compares Kansas' school board authority and constraints with those of other states on select topics. These topics include authority over discipline policy, school board election timing, charter schools, cellphone use policy, as well as constraints on school boards' authority from Parents' Bills of Rights.
Book bans, removals, and restrictions
Twenty-four (24) states have no laws regulating the curation of school library books. Twenty-six (26) states, however, have passed laws restricting school board authority over school library book curation. These laws typically fall into one of the following categories:
Ten states require school boards to develop a policy for the removal of books, including creating a way for the public to challenge school library books.
Eight states prohibit school boards from removing books on the grounds that they represent specific ideologies or perspectives.
Six states prohibit books if they contain specific material, including sexual content or anything deemed harmful to minors.
Five states require school boards to establish local boards to review challenges to library books.
Two states require school boards to allow parents to view a catalogue of books.
Some states have adopted multiple types of these policies.
Discipline
School boards in 47 states have authority over disciplinary policy in their district.
School boards in two states have authority over disciplinary policy for specific circumstances, such as suspension, expulsion, or bullying.
Individual schools in one state create their own disciplinary policy.
School board elections
School boards' authority over the timing of school board elections varies by state.
School boards in 42 states do not have authority over election timing;
School boards in five states can choose from limited options when to hold school board elections;
School boards in two states can choose from a date range when to hold school board elections;
The school board in Hawaii is not elected.
The map below shows the types of authority school boards in the states have to determine the timing of school board elections.
Some school boards in the U.S. are authorized to approve or deny applications for charter schools in their district, while state boards of education hold the authority in other states. In some states, school boards can authorize charter schools, but there are other entities besides school boards that can also authorize charter schools or to which a school board decision can be appealed.
10 states do not authorize school boards to make decisions on whether to approve new charter schools in their districts.
36 states do authorize school boards to approve new charter schools in their districts, deny approval to new charter schools, or both.
3 states do not have laws governing charter school authorization.
1 state allows school districts to apply to the state board of education to be a charter school district.
In most states, school boards or superintendents often set policies on cellphones in public schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), around 76% of schools said they banned the non-academic use of cellphones or smartphones during school hours during the 2021-22 school year, down from 91% in 2010.[25]
Beginning with Florida in 2023, some states enacted laws or policies to regulate student cellphone usage in public schools. Twenty-six (26) states had statewide laws or policies restricting cellphone use in K-12 classrooms or schools as of June 2025. Four states had requirements for all school district boards to adopt a policy on cellphones but without specific requirements for those policies. Four other states had policies encouraging school districts to establish restrictions on cellphone use in the classroom.
If state law explicitly provides certain rights to parents, it can constrain the policy-making authority of school boards. These sections of statute are often referred to within statute and are categorized here as Parents' Bills of Rights. In some states, they are education-specific, regarding the rights a parent has to be involved in their child's public education. Common examples include notification requirements, opt-out rights, and records access. Other Parents' Bills of Rights are more general, commonly affording parents a right to direct the upbringing of their child.
26 states have enacted a statewide Parents' Bill of Rights
24 states have not enacted a Parents' Bill of Rights.
Kansas State Board of Education votes to adopt recommendations encouraging district to prohibit cellphone use in schools (2024): On December 11, 2024, the State Board of Education voted to approve the recommendations of an education task force that said districts should prohibit students from using cellphones during the school day. Districts were encouraged but not required to adhere to the recommendations.[1]
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