House panel sets amendment deadline for civics education bill

The House Finance Committee heard testimony Tuesday on legislation that would require Alaska high school students to complete civics education for graduation and create a diploma seal recognizing civic achievement, then set an amendment deadline for Friday.

Senate Bill 23 would require students starting ninth grade in 2027 to complete one semester of comparative government and civics, pass a 100-question civics test with a 70 percent score, or complete a project-based assessment. The Alaska Senate passed the bill unanimously in March. The bill directs the state Board of Education to develop curriculum covering 14 topics including U.S. founding principles, federalism, elections, and comparative governments, based on U.S. naturalization test questions.

The bill also directs the Department of Education and Early Development to create a seal of civic readiness for student transcripts and diplomas, recognizing those who reach a high level of proficiency in civic knowledge and skills. But lawmakers questioned how the seal would work in practice.

"I'm trying to figure out if every registrar at every school district is going to now have an additional task to say this student has mastered this and they get the Civic Seal," said Representative Sara Hannan.

Kelly Manning, deputy director for the Division of Innovation and Education Excellence, said the seal would recognize excellence beyond the basic graduation requirement. "It would be available to any student, but it would be setting a standard of excellence," Manning said. A working group of educators would develop the criteria.

Tim Lampkin, staff to bill sponsor Senator Gary Stevens, said the bill leaves implementation details to regulations. "We leave it to the department, to the districts, to the educators to recognize those students who have gone above and beyond the simple requirement," Lampkin said.

Hannan pressed for clarity on whether students would need to apply for the seal or receive it automatically based on their coursework and grades. Lampkin said the sponsor would be open to amendments specifying the process.

Representative Andy Josephson asked whether the civics requirement would displace other coursework. Lampkin said it would fit within existing social studies credit requirements. "This isn't creating anything new. It's just putting it codified, essentially what they're doing," Lampkin said, citing conversations with superintendents statewide.

Representative Allard asked whether military children could be exempted from the requirement based on their travel and service. Lampkin said existing exemption language in the bill covers students transferring from other districts or states, and that districts routinely grant waivers for military families. Allard said she wanted to add specific statutory language for military exemptions.