Category: News Feeds

Civics education would be included among graduation requirements for all Alaska high schoolers, under a bill passed by the Alaska Legislature in the final hours of the legislative session last week. 

The new requirement aims to bolster Alaska students’ knowledge and understanding of the U.S. government and civic responsibilities. It comes amid declining public trust in government, the bill’s sponsor, Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, told the Alaska Beacon last month.

Students would have three options to choose from to complete the requirement: complete and pass a semester of civics curriculum, pass a civics exam or complete a civics project-based assessment.

Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 23 by a combined vote of 57 to 3. The bill now goes before Gov. Mike Dunleavy to sign, veto or allow it to pass into law without his signature. 

Under the proposal, school districts would be able to develop civics curriculums based on open-access, no cost resources provided by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development across 14 areas of government and public affairs:

• the founding history of the United States, including foundational documents and the principles of government of the United States; federalism, including the role and operations of local, state and national governments;                                                                                             
• the institutions of the United States government, including the responsibilities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches;                                            
• the rights and responsibilities of United States citizenship;                                      
• civil liberties and civil rights;                                                                  
• the Constitution of the State of Alaska and the Constitution of the United States;                                                                                                    
• political parties and interest groups;                                                             
• campaigns and elections;                                                                           
• the United States Congress;                                                                        
• domestic policy;                                                                                  
• foreign policy;                                                                                  
• comparative systems of governments used globally and by Alaska Native people;                                                                                                          
• international relations; and                                                                      
• major issues facing local, state and the United States governments.

The initiative comes at a time when the United States is seeing a growing public distrust in government and deepening political polarization. A survey last year by the non-partisan Pew Research Center found public distrust is at one of its lowest points in the nation’s history, with just 17% of respondents saying they trust the federal government to “do what is right.” 

Stevens declined to comment on the bill passing the Legislature when asked at the Capitol on Wednesday. He said he would wait to comment after the governor’s decision on the bill. Lawmakers have passed 114 bills in this two-year legislative term. But Dunleavy has vetoed 12 bills so far and will consider dozens more in the next few weeks. 

Lawmakers are in a high-stakes 30-day special session called by Dunleavy to discuss potential state property tax relief for  the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project. The special session is expected to go to June 21.

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Let’s take a moment to recognize something that quietly makes a major difference in the lives of Alaska’s children and families — Medicaid. For thousands of Alaska families, Medicaid isn’t just a program. It is a cornerstone that ensures access to the care, support and resources needed to thrive. It means that when a baby is born, care is available. It means that when a child gets sick, they can see a doctor. It means families, no matter where they live in Alaska, aren’t one medical emergency away from crisis.

In Alaska, Medicaid is a foundational part of how we care for children and families. Roughly one in three children in Alaska rely on Denali KidCare for their health care coverage, and about 40 percent of births in our state are covered by Medicaid. Children make up the largest group of Medicaid enrollees in Alaska — representing 41 percent of all covered individuals — and Medicaid and its children’s health insurance program, Denali KidCare, covers preventive checkups, immunizations, behavioral health care, developmental screenings and treatment when kids are sick or injured. That percentage is even higher in rural communities. Without Medicaid, access to prenatal care, pediatric visits and basic health services becomes not just difficult, but impossible.

That’s why the recent trend in enrollment is so alarming. Between January and November 2025, overall Medicaid enrollment in Alaska dropped by nearly 30,000 individuals. Children’s coverage fell by 10 percent. Most of these children didn’t lose coverage because they became ineligible. They lost it because of paperwork. Renewal packets didn’t reach families and verification requests went unanswered — under current rules, that’s enough to end a child’s coverage. 

When Medicaid works well, it ensures that babies are born healthy, children receive early care and families can access the support they need without falling into crisis. It also helps sustain the clinics and hospitals that communities rely on. These are the building blocks of strong, resilient communities and the foundation on which thriving families are built.

It’s also important to recognize the challenges families and providers are facing. Across Alaska, many are navigating a system that is becoming harder to access. Increased paperwork, additional administrative steps and shifting eligibility requirements may seem like small changes, but for families already balancing work, childcare and transportation challenges, they can be the difference between getting care and going without it.

When access becomes more complicated, children are often the first to feel the impact. We see it when families delay care. We see it when providers reduce services. We see it when parents are forced to make impossible trade-offs. When coverage lapses, children are more likely to miss preventive care and immunizations, go without mental health support and have chronic conditions that go unmanaged. Those gaps don’t just affect health — they surface later as more school absences, behavioral challenges and higher costs across health, education and social services.

At Alaska Children’s Trust, our focus has always been simple: Prevent harm before it happens and ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive. That means investing in the conditions that keep families stable in the first place. Health care access is one of those conditions. It is not just a line item in a budget. It is part of the broader ecosystem that supports safe homes, strong families, and healthy childhoods. 

Alaska can and must do better. That means partnering with schools, clinics, food banks and child care providers to help families re-enroll. It means raising income eligibility limits for kids, expanding Medicaid services available through schools and allowing children to be enrolled immediately while eligibility is verified. It means giving caregivers flexibility so that administrative requirements don’t become another barrier standing between a child and their health care. It means raising awareness of a program that supports the health of 41% of Alaska’s children.

We encourage Alaskans to take a moment to learn how Medicaid supports families in our own communities, to listen to the experiences of parents and providers and to stay engaged in conversations about how we can keep Alaska’s children healthy and supported.

Take the opportunity to stay grounded in what matters most: keeping kids healthy, supporting families and ensuring that where you live in Alaska doesn’t determine whether you can access care. When Alaska’s children are healthy, our communities are stronger for it.

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