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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho bans excused absences for student walkouts and political protests and requires annual reporting
Last action · March 2, 2026: Reported Printed and Referred to Education
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What This Bill Proposed
Public schools and districts in Idaho are prohibited from granting excused absences to students participating in political protests, student walkouts, or working for political groups, making such absences unexcused starting immediately upon passage and approval.
Schools face attendance and reporting adjustments when student absences for political activities are automatically classified as unexcused rather than excused.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Idaho public school students
Idaho public school districts
Districts must track and annually report unexcused absences for political activities and factor them into average daily attendance calculations.
Key Facts
- School districts, schools, and teachers are prohibited from granting excused absences for participating in political protests, working or volunteering for political protest groups, or participating in student walkouts.
- Absences for prohibited political activities are counted as unexcused absences and count against the school district's average daily attendance.
- School districts must report annually the total number of unexcused absences for these activities to the Idaho superintendent of public instruction.
- Beginning in January 2027, the state superintendent of public instruction must submit an annual report of this data to the legislature by January 15 of each year.
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- The state board of education must promulgate rules subject to legislative approval to implement the section.
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Mar 2, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Education
- Feb 27, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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