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Session of 2000
          SENATE BILL No. 414           By Committee on Education           1-14          

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  9             AN  ACT concerning school districts; requiring the teaching of the Span-
10             ish language.
11      
12       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
13             Section  1. (a) Commencing with the 2002-03 school year, the board
14       of education of each school district shall provide for the teaching of
15       courses of instruction in Spanish grammar and composition that are:
16             (1) Developmentally appropriate and reflect a systemic, progressive
17       approach to proficiency in the Spanish language throughout the elemen-
18       tary, middle and high school grades; and
19             (2) consistent with standards of proficiency in the Spanish language
20       which shall contain benchmarks describing what pupils should know and
21       be able to do at the end of certain points in their schooling.
22             (b) The commissioner of education shall prescribe standards of pro-
23       ficiency in the Spanish language that are consistent with the requirements
24       of subsection (a) and may provide for such waivers from the requirements
25       of section 2, and amendments thereto, as the commissioner deems
26       appropriate.
27             Sec.  2. No pupil who has not met the benchmarks contained within
28       the standards of proficiency in the Spanish language prescribed for at-
29       tainment by pupils upon completion of grade 12 shall be certified as
30       having completed the course requirements necessary for graduation from
31       high school.
32        Sec.  3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
33       publication in the statute book.