New Kentucky law prohibits school staff from emailing, texting students

A new Kentucky law that takes effect Friday requires all public school districts to implement a traceable communications platform that will serve as the only method for a teacher to contact a student electronically.

It’s up to each district to decide what platform staff can use to contact students — Fayette County plans to use an app called ParentSquare — but more private forms of communication like email, text and social media are banned.

The law comes after several incidents of inappropriate sexual communication involving school staff and students in Kentucky have led to criminal charges in recent years.

Senate Bill 181, sponsored by Senator Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, applies to school district employees and volunteers.

“SB 181 establishes clear guidelines for electronic communication between school district employees, volunteers, and students, ensuring parental oversight and preventing unauthorized communication that could pose risks to student safety,” Tichenor said in a March news release. “This legislation is about putting our children first and ensuring they are protected from inappropriate or unauthorized communication,”

In 2022, a Herald-Leader investigation found that of the 194 teachers whose licenses were surrendered, suspended or revoked by the Education Professional Standards Board, 61% were related to sexual misconduct.

Several of those cases began when teachers communicated with students privately, via text or phone calls.

Andrew Zaheri, a former Rowan County soccer coach, used school software to look up the home address of Jane Doe, one of his soccer players he sexually abused, a civil federal lawsuit alleges.

Zaheri then got the girl’s cell phone number and started repeatedly texting her, the lawsuit alleges. Zaheri also took photos of the girl.

Zaheri was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison in July 2024. A federal lawsuit filed by Jane Doe is still pending. The Lexington Herald-Leader does not identify victims of sexual assault.

In one instance involving a Central Kentucky teacher who was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior toward students in Paris Independent School District and Jessamine County schools, a male teacher texted or called a female student 1,753 times over a year, Education Professional Standards Board records show. The EPSB oversees Kentucky teacher disciplinary actions.

In Fayette County, full implementation of the app ParentSquare will occur by Aug. 13, the first day of the 2025-2026 school year. Parents and staff will receive training in July and August.

Until then, parents can sign an authorization form for this summer that says, in part, “I hereby consent to authorize (staff) to communicate with my child outside of the traceable communication system.

“My consent does not authorize a District employee or volunteer to engage in inappropriate or sexual electronic communication with my student or be used as a basis of a defense for a District employee or volunteer that engages in inappropriate or sexual electronic communication.”

Senate Majority Floor Leader Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, told the Herald-Leader Monday that teachers are concerned that they cannot “friend” current students on social media and cannot comment on families’ pictures that have been posted online.

“Clean up language for the 2026 (General Assembly) session may be a part” of an ongoing conversation, Wise said. “We’ve heard from educators about areas where the bill needs work,” Wise said in a Monday Facebook post. “We’re committed to making sure this law is practical, clear, and supportive of both student protection and school operations.”

In a recent question and answer bulletin about the new communication restrictions, the Kentucky School Boards Association said: “The spirit of the bill is one we can all agree on: protecting students, encouraging more parental involvement and safeguarding school communications. “

Certified employees who are found to have violated the new law must be reported to the Education Professional Standards Board, which is separately required to “promptly investigate” the allegations and take appropriate disciplinary action, the KSBA said.

Volunteers who are found to have violated the new law will be prohibited from future school volunteer opportunities.

There is no exception for accidental or innocuous communication.

This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 11:10 AM.