Kansas regents revise policy on KU teaching of systemic racism

The Kansas Board of Regents is revising a policy that could decide how professors at the University of Kansas talk about systemic racism, diversity and equity in required classes. In the newest version, the topic would still be teachable, but faculty could not push students to accept the idea as fact, a distinction that could shape what gets said in Lawrence classrooms.

At the regents’ June 17-18 meeting in Topeka, general counsel John Yeary presented first-read amendments to define DEI-CRT in line with Section 147 of 2026 HB 2513. The draft keeps material that describes racism as systemic within laws, policies or institutions within the policy’s reach, but adds a narrower test: the material would have to promote acceptance of that view, not merely present it as a subject of scholarly, historical or legal study. It also says discussion of race, racism or the history of the civil rights movement does not count as DEI-CRT content for purposes of the policy, a change from the earlier version discussed last month.

The stakes are driven by deadlines in the law itself. Section 147 requires the Kansas Board of Regents to define DEI-CRT by July 31, 2026, and to certify by that same date that public colleges have adopted policy for the 2026-2027 academic year. By July 31, 2028, the state must also certify that degree programs do not require students to enroll in a DEI-CRT course. The regents oversee six state universities and 32 public higher education institutions statewide, so the language adopted in Topeka will reach far beyond KU’s Hill Campus.

For KU, the practical effect could be immediate. Required courses in fields such as history, education, law and public policy could face new pressure over how professors frame systemic racism, what readings they assign and whether they can press students to treat contested ideas as settled fact. KU Chancellor Douglas Girod said earlier this year the bill created concerns, lacked clarity and could impinge on academic freedom. The Kansas Conference of the American Association of University Professors warned the proposal could chill teaching and drive faculty out of the state.

The policy fight is part of a broader statewide push. A 2025 regents directive already told universities to eliminate DEI positions, policies, programs, preferences, activities, training requirements and related grants or contracts. KU estimated in February that complying with the related bill would cost about $1.8 million and require the equivalent of 12 full-time employees. For Lawrence and Douglas County, the next version of the policy could determine not just what KU teaches, but how openly professors can teach it.