Encouraging school districts to annually designate a Linda Brown and family walk to school day.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Encourages Kansas districts to designate an annual “Linda Brown and family walk to school day” in August or September to honor desegregation history (non-binding).

Died in Committee

#discrimination #schools

Overview

HB 2744 (Kansas, 2025-2026) Encouraging school districts to annually designate a Linda Brown and family walk to school day

Purpose: Encourage each Kansas school district to designate an annual day in August or September as “Linda Brown and family walk to school day” to remember the Brown v. Board of Education legacy and desegregation history.

Status: Died in Committee (House Committee on Education) on April 10, 2026.

Fiscal impact: Kansas Department of Education and Kansas Association of School Boards indicate no fiscal effect from enactment.

Key Provisions

Section 1(a): Acknowledges the courage of Linda Carol Brown and her parents in the Brown v. Board of Education case, recognizing its role in desegregation and access to neighborhood schools.

Section 1(b): Encourages, rather than requires, every local board of education to designate a day in August or September of each school year as “Linda Brown and family walk to school day.” The purpose is to honor the Brown family and all students and families who participated in desegregation.

Section 2: Effective date – the act would take effect upon publication in the statute book.

Who Is Affected

Primary: Local boards of education in Kansas school districts (as encouraged by the bill to designate a annual commemorative day).

Indirect effects: Students, families, educators, and school communities across Kansas who may participate in or observe the designated day; state-level education agencies and school associations may coordinate messaging or recognition, though the bill does not mandate specific actions beyond designation.

Procedural and Timeline Considerations

Designation timing: The proposed day would be in August or September of each school year.

Implementation: The bill does not mandate specific activities, funding, or commemorative requirements beyond designation; adherence is voluntary for districts.

Legislative progress: Introduced February 6, 2026; referred to House Committee on Education; died in committee on April 10, 2026 (no further action noted).

Summary Statement

HB 2744 seeks to honor the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education by encouraging Kansas school districts to annually designate a commemorative day—“Linda Brown and family walk to school day”—in August or September. The measure acknowledges desegregation’s impact and invites districts to recognize the history and ongoing importance of access to neighborhood schools. The bill is non-mandatory and does not assign funding or specific activities, and it carries no anticipated fiscal impact. It did not advance beyond the committee stage.