[JURIST] The Kentucky House of Representatives on Friday voted 56-39 in favor of allowing charter schools in the state for the first time. House Bill 520, supported by Governor Matt Bevin and amended by Representative Phil Moffett [official websites], allows local school boards and the mayors of Lexington and Louisville to approve charter schools. The bill was passed through the House unusually quickly, prompting some Democrats to question its veracity. Bevin, in response, stated “It’s not about the students to anyone of those that are opposing this bill. At the end of the day this is about educating the young people in Kentucky.” With some exceptions, state charter schools are exempt from state regulations, instead they are governed by performance-based contracts with the state while still receiving state funding.

Education related issues have generated controversy in the US in recent years. In September, 2015, the Washington Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that voter-approved initiative 1240, which allowed 40 charter schools across the state, is unconstitutional. The court determined that the schools cannot receive public funding because the state superintendent has no control over the curriculum or day-to-day activities at the schools. In July of that year, the US Senate passed a bill [JURIST report] to revamp the controversial 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. The bill comes as part of an effort to overhaul the old law and give more flexibility to states in setting their own standards for student and school performance. In June the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled [JURIST report] in favor of tight regulations pointed at the for-profit college industry. The court ruled that the Education Department has the right to demand that schools show that their graduates are financially dependent enough to repay their student loans. In January Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation [JURIST report] that will require all Arizona High School students to take and pass the US Citizenship test before they are able to graduate, beginning in the 2016-17 school year.