4 new KY laws will change school for students this year. Here’s what to know
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- Schools must begin each day with up to two minutes for student silence or prayer.
- New laws mandate sextortion education and harsher penalties for perpetrators.
- Teachers now limited to one traceable platform for all electronic student contact.
Kentucky students will likely notice several changes this year with a number of new state laws focusing on aspects of the school day, from mandatory moments of silence, smartphone bans, education on “sextortion” and more.
The first day of classes for Fayette County Public Schools students is Wednesday, Aug. 13, and it will also bring the opening a new middle school in the district.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest changes, including how school districts are implementing them.
Moments of silence to start the day, allowances for ‘moral instruction’
One change this school year Kentucky students are likely to notice right away are new “moments of silence” added by Senate Bill 19.
The law requires schools to devote up to two minutes at the start of each day for students to pray or meditate, if they wish. Students who don’t want to participate must otherwise remain silent, and they cannot distract other students.
SB 19 also makes certain allowances for students to receive “moral instruction,” requiring school boards to excuse them for up to one hour one day a week. Participation in the instruction is voluntary and must be free from coercion by school staff.
Providers of moral instruction must be approved by the district, cannot be funded by it and have to provide instruction off school grounds.
Education about ‘sextortion’
Sexual extortion is the extortion of money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal their sexual activity.
Senate Bill 73 creates a range of felony offenses for sexual extortion, and people who target children face stiffer penalties. Other parts of the law also make it easier to sue perpetrators.
While it’s a growing tactic for scammers to demand money, widespread easy-to-use artificial intelligence is also making it a form of cyberbullying among teens.
Starting this year, schools will be required to provide students and families with information about sexual extortion, including by displaying awareness signs in prominent places within schools.
In Fayette County, schools are offering age-appropriate information about sexual extortion during anti-bullying and harassment presentations beginning in the fourth grade.
New rules on teacher-to-student communications
New rules enacted by Senate Bill 181 require all public schools to implement a traceable communications platform that serves as the only way teachers can contact students electronically. More private forms of communication, such as sending personal emails, texts and social media messages, are not allowed.
The new law follows a spate of inappropriate, sexual communications between school staff and students in recent years, often leading to criminal charges.
A 2022 Herald-Leader investigation found of the 194 teachers who lost their licenses in some way over the previous five years, 61% were related to sexual misconduct. Several of those cases began when teachers reached out to students via private text message or phone call.
The law’s implementation has caused logistical challenges in some Kentucky school districts and its sponsor is considering changes during next year’s lawmaking session.
A ban on student phone use during the school day
Starting this school year, Kentucky is joining the growing list of states implementing school mobile phone bans. From California to Florida, states are trying to limit their negative impact on students’ mental health and attention.
In Kentucky, House Bill 208 requires school boards to, at a minimum, adopt policies that prohibit student phone use during instructional time, with a few limited exceptions, such as emergencies. The ban also covers social media use that isn’t approved by a teacher for instructional purposes.
In Fayette County, schools are implementing the change by requiring students to store their phones in special pouches during class. Students can have access to their phones during class transitions and lunch.
Other Kentucky school districts, such as Bardstown City Schools, are going further by requiring students to keep smartphones and related devices “off and out of sight” throughout the entire school day, according to a Bardstown High School message sent to families.
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