KY Republican lawmaker files anti-DEI legislation for K-12 public schools

Valarie Honeycutt Spears, Hannah Pinski, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jan 6, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A bill filed by a Republican state senator on the first day of 2026 General Assembly attempts to ban diversity, equity and inclusion practices in Kentucky’s K-12 public schools.

Senate Bill 26 filed by Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, would apply to the Kentucky Department of Education, school districts and public schools.

According to the bill, the department, school districts, public schools or cooperative boards must not provide any differential treatment or benefits to an individual, including an applicant for employment, promotion, or contract renewal, on the basis of the individual’s religion, race, sex, color or national origin.

Those entities also couldn’t do the following under the legislation:

•Prioritize or provide preferential consideration for vendors, contracts or other transactions based upon the religion, race, sex, color, or national origin of the ownership, management, or staff of any business or nonprofit entity, except that the institution may provide preferential consideration for businesses owned by residents of Kentucky and the United States.

•Establish or maintain a diversity, equity, and inclusion — also known as DEI — office, contract or employ an individual to serve as a DEI officer, provide DEI training, or maintain related initiatives.

•Require or incentivize an individual to attend DEI training or provide any differential treatment or benefits to an individual based on the individual’s participation in DEI.

The Attorney General could bring a civil action to compel schools to comply under the legislation.

The effort to eliminate and curb DEI offices and practices has been pushed by many conservatives, and since joining the Kentucky Senate in 2023, Tichenor has been an opponent of DEI initiatives. Senate Bill 165, a similar anti-DEI bill she filed in 2025 aimed at K-12 schools, did not move in the General Assembly.

But last year, the General Assembly approved House Bill 4 filed by Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy. It barred public colleges and universities from spending money on DEI initiatives and required those institutions to close DEI offices and eliminate all related staff by June 30, 2025. It also required all public colleges and universities to adopt a neutrality policy, prohibiting the schools from taking political stances.

On Tuesday, Tichenor did not immediately comment about Senate Bill 26. Neither did Fayette County Public Schools officials.

Jennifer Ginn, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Education, declined to comment on Tuesday.

Speaking to an interim legislative committee in December, Tichenor noted that Fayette County and Jefferson County schools, the two largest districts in Kentucky, were the only ones statewide that did not sign a letter issued by President Donald Trump’s administration assuring federal officials they had eliminated DEI initiatives.

_____