This bill amends current education law in Kansas regarding the employment files of teachers. It authorizes school districts to request and receive an applicant teacher's employment files from another district if the teacher was previously employed there. A hiring school district must require the applicant to sign a written waiver that allows the disclosure of their employment files and releases the hiring district from liability related to this disclosure. If the applicant refuses to sign the waiver, they will not be considered for employment. The bill also stipulates that the receiving school district must disclose the requested files within 21 days, unless restricted by a binding nondisclosure agreement executed before July 1, 2025.

Additionally, the bill clarifies that files obtained under this section are not subject to public inspection under the Kansas Open Records Act and establishes that the official custodian of these files will be the school district that maintained them. It provides immunity to school districts from civil suits related to the disclosure of these files if they acted in good faith. The bill repeals the existing section of K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 45-220 and includes various definitions related to the terms used in the context of teacher employment files.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 45-220
As introduced: 45-220