High school students explore hominid evolution. Photo by Carolyn WIlczynski. CC BY 4.0.
Kentucky's Senate Bill 240 (PDF) would, if enacted, safeguard the religious neutrality of public education in a variety of ways, including by establishing that public school students have a right under state law to be free from "any religious instruction as part of a school curriculum, including creationism and intelligent design." Introduced by Karen Berg (D-26) on February 24, 2026, the bill is currently with the Senate Committee on Committees.
Senate Bill 240 joins Kansas's House Bill 2431 and Senate Bill 424, Oklahoma's Senate Bill 3488, and Vermont's House Bill 405, as the fifth piece of legislation based on a model bill drafted by a national coalition of secular organizations, including American Atheists, the American Humanist Association, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation Action Fund, as NCSE previously reported.
"It's deeply concerning that there's a need for state legislatures to reassert the critical importance of separation of church and state, including by reiterating that creationism is not appropriate for the science classroom," commented NCSE's Executive Director Amanda L. Townley. "NCSE is therefore pleased to endorse the provisions of these bills that seek to protect the teaching of evolution in the public schools."
