BOISE, Idaho — Students could see new graduation requirements if a new education bill becomes law.
House Bill 397 would mandate instruction on citizenship, the U.S. Constitution, and require passing a revised civics test in order to graduate.
If passed, House Bill 397 would mandate all secondary students to successfully pass a civics test to graduate, starting at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.
Some lawmakers say the test is needed.
Rep. Joe Alfieri (R) said, "It is horrifying how little people know about the way government works."
The test is based on the fundamentals of U.S. history and government, with questions referring to the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, branches of government, how a bill becomes law, and much more.
Rep. Joe Alfieri (R) also said, "If you want to preserve a republic, you have to have these people participate in it. They must know how the government works and what they can do about it."
Although in favor of the bill, Rep. Monica Church (D) shared her concern that most students take American government in their senior year. She worries that students will be learning material up until the last minute.
"I’ve personally seen the stress on families with the old civics test, as a student needs to make it moments before they walk across the stage. It creates an undue burden on the schools, on the students, on the districts to make sure every student has that test when they’re learning the material a week ago," Church said.
Rep. John Gannon (D) was one of the few who voted against the bill, simply stating that students already take too many tests.
"We had all these tests, we had to do this test, that test, and take all this time in school doing that, and I just think that there are too many tests, so this is an opportunity for me to vote no on one test," Gannon said.
The bill says students graduating prior to 2029 who have met the civics requirement won’t need to take the revised test.
The majority of the House voted in favor of the bill, 64 to 3. The bill is on its way to the Senate floor for further consideration.
