No. HB 49
Filed under Elections.
Political Activities on School Grounds; Provides that certain activities are allowed on school grounds; authorizes candidates to be invited to speak as candidates on school grounds if certain conditions are met; prohibits certain political activities on school grounds; prohibits certain employees from using e-mail, offices, or time during working hours for political advocacy; provides criminal penalties for persons who violate specified provisions; provides that each such violation is separate offense.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDSchools may host candidate forums, equal-access advertising, disclaimer-labeled student editorials, and nonpartisan voter registration. But posting campaign signs, handing out campaign literature, campaigning for a candidate, or collecting campaign donations on school grounds all become illegal.
Anyone who violates these rules commits a second-degree misdemeanor, and each separate act counts as its own offense, so posting multiple campaign signs in one visit could mean multiple criminal charges.
Separately, teachers and other school employees can no longer use school e-mail, offices, or work hours for political advocacy of any kind, a rule that applies even when it has nothing to do with a candidate or campaign.
The rules reach beyond declared candidates: anyone whose possible run for office is the subject of intense public speculation counts too. A candidate invited to speak as one only qualifies if every other candidate gets a similar invitation.
AIPosting campaign signs, distributing campaign literature, and campaigning for or with a candidate are all prohibited on the grounds of any public K-12 school or public college or university.
AIA person who violates any part of this new law commits a second-degree misdemeanor. Each violation counts as its own separate offense, so a single visit involving several prohibited acts could produce multiple criminal charges.
AIAny faculty or staff member of a K-12 school or public college or university may not use school e-mail, offices, or working hours for political advocacy of any kind, whether or not it involves a candidate.
AIA school may invite a candidate to speak specifically as a candidate only if every other qualified candidate gets a similar invitation to a similar event, and documentation proving all candidates were invited must be kept.
AIThe restrictions on what a candidate may say or do on school grounds apply not just to declared candidates but to any incumbent presumed to run again, and to anyone whose possible run for office draws intense public speculation.
AICandidate forums where all qualified candidates are invited, political advertising offered on the same terms as other outside ads, student newspaper endorsements carrying a disclaimer, and nonpartisan voter registration events remain allowed on school grounds.