Committee rejects HB 2330 to designate Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

The Committee on Education voted 11 to 6 to defeat House Bill 2330, which would have designated Nov. 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in Kansas. The bill also directs that when Nov. 14 falls on a weekend the following Wednesday would serve as the commemoration; the reviser said the statute would take effect July 1 if enacted.

Jason Long, the committee reviser, told the panel the bill creates a new day of commemoration and noted the operative language is on page 2. "This would go into effect on July 1 if it's enacted. So the first day of commemoration would be November 14 of this year," Long said.

Proponents described last year's statewide activities and urged passage. Stacy Nell, executive director of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, recounted Ruby Bridges' experience entering William Franz Elementary School and told members that Bridges "really had no idea why people were there." Student conferees who joined the committee in person described participating in a local Walk to School Day and reading Bridges' book. Ariana Garcia Montoya testified, "I participated in the Ruby Bridges walk to school day," and other students spoke about their classroom projects and videos.

The chair announced a change to committee practice for future testimony involving minors: the chair said she would revise rules so parental contact information need not become part of open records and approved full five-minute testimony for minors in this hearing. The committee received written proponent testimony from many others and no in-person opponents.

Debate among members centered on two lines of concern: several members said the designation was consistent with prior days of commemoration (the reviser and supporters listed examples such as Native American Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and the National Day of the Cowboy), while others worried about redundancy and preferred local control by school districts. Representative McNorton said local school districts should decide whether to participate; Representative Steele questioned feasibility in very rural districts with long bus rides. Representative Wynne and others described broad participation last year, noting participation from seven counties and additional remote livestreams.

Representative Rees moved to declare the bill an emergency for immediate final action; the motion was seconded by Representative Wynne and approved by voice vote so the committee could take up final action the same day. On final action, a motion to pass HB 2330 was made and seconded; the committee divided, with six members voting yea and eleven voting nay, and the motion failed.

Supporters said the statutory designation would allow schools that wish to mark the day to do so without mandating curriculum or activity; opponents said existing resolutions and local practices already allow commemoration and that a statute was unnecessary. After the vote the chair adjourned the committee.