Kentucky GOP bill would require schools to tell parents if their kids are transgender

A Republican lawmaker has filed a bill that would require schools to inform parents if their child says that they are transgender, would bar school employees from being disciplined for not using a transgender person or students’ pronouns, and disallow school districts from requiring personnel or students to use correct pronouns for anyone at the school.

House Bill 304 from Rep. Shane Baker, R-Somerset, would amend state statute put in place last year with the passage of the divisive Senate Bill 150. LGBTQ rights advocates in Kentucky and across the nation called the bill one of the most “anti-trans” pieces of legislation in the nation while social conservatives cheered it for being pro-”parental rights.”

Senate Bill 150 banned gender-affirming health care for trans minors, restricts classroom teaching on gender and sexuality, stops districts and schools from asking teachers to use a trans student’s pronouns, and mandates districts create policies that prevent trans students from using restrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

While the most-discussed aspects of Senate Bill 150 were the provisions added to it at the last minute — the ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth — Baker’s bill amends other portions of the law codified by the bill related to schools.

Whereas Senate Bill 150 barred the state department of education and local school boards from requiring teachers use trans students’ correct pronouns, House Bill 304 would add school employees cannot be disciplined for not using the correct pronouns of any trans person, including teachers and staff.

That same rule barring school employees from referring to adult trans staff by their pronouns would also apply to students.

Baker’s bill also makes more explicit certain statutory requirements around “fundamental” parental involvement.

Parents must be notified within two business days, for instance, if a “student requests or receives health services or mental health services related to sexual conduct or behavior, sexual orientation, or sexual identity.”

Likewise, school staff must notify parents within two days if their student expresses a “gender different from his or her biological sex.”

This new requirement should exist, the bill reads, as a way to create a safe and supportive learning environment for students, and to “facilitate and support parental rights and involvement in the student’s life.”

This same rule would apply if it’s discovered a school employee is engaged in a romantic or sexual relationship with a student; if a student is being bullied or harassed; if there’s a marked drop in a student’s grades; or if the student gets physically injured at school.

Any faculty member found to have “knowingly or intentionally” violated aspects of the law would be subject to discipline from their licensing board and risk certification suspension.

The bill also would amend state law to allow on-duty school employees to join “voluntary, student-initiated, student-led prayer,” when invited by students to do so.

Baker has focused on similar issues in the past, filing a bill last session that mirrored parts of what became Senate Bill 150.

This story was originally published January 19, 2024 at 11:15 AM.

Austin Horn

Lexington Herald-Leader

706-571-8597

Austin Horn is a politics reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He previously worked for the Frankfort State Journal and National Public Radio. Horn has roots in both Woodford and Martin Counties.

Alex Acquisto

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-231-1427

Alex Acquisto covers health and social services for the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com. She joined the newspaper in June 2019 as a corps member with Report for America, a national service program made possible in Kentucky with support from the Blue Grass Community Foundation. She’s from Owensboro, Ky., and previously worked at the Bangor Daily News and other newspapers in Maine. Support my work with a digital subscription