Education (K-12 Education)

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define "Success Sequence"; require all students to receive instruction on the Success Sequence during grades 7 and 10 beginning with the 2027-2028 school year; require the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate administrative regulations to establish academic standards for instruction on the Success Sequence; require the Department of Education to develop guidelines for implementing Success Sequence instruction; permit superintendents to partner with Kentucky-based nonprofits to develop required curriculum.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to define terms; establish a proactive postsecondary admissions program to be managed by the Council on Postsecondary Education; require each public postsecondary education institution in Kentucky to establish the minimum academic qualification for prospective admission to the institution and implement the common online application approved by the council by July 1, 2027; require the Kentucky Department of Education and each certified nonpublic school to submit a compiled list with designated information of all high school students who most recently completed their junior year to the council and the Kentucky Center for Statistics on or before September 1 of each year; require the KHEAA to submit the KEES award amounts of public and certified nonpublic high school students to the council on or before September 1 of each year; direct the council to send a personalized prospective admissions letter notifying each eligible high school student of each public postsecondary education institution in Kentucky where the recipient qualifies for prospective admissions, provides instructions for the recipient to apply for full admission, and of the student's KEES scholarship amount; provide that the personalized letter shall not constitute a guarantee of admission; retain the right for public postsecondary education institutions to perform a comprehensive reviews of all admissions applications internally; create a new section of KRS Chapter 151 to direct the Kentucky Center for Statistics to collaborate with the Kentucky Department of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education to publish annual data on academic and workforce outcomes; amend KRS 164.020 to direct the Council on Postsecondary Education to establish a common online application and maintain a website for students to apply to Kentucky public postsecondary institutions through the common online application.

Amend KRS 164.786 to define "eligible high school apprentice" and "eligible registered teacher apprenticeship program"; include eligible registered teacher apprenticeship programs in the dual credit scholarship program; establish student and school district eligibility and participation requirements in the eligible registered teacher apprenticeship scholarship program.

Amend KRS 157.320 and 157.360 to remove references to kindergarten full-time equivalent pupils in average daily attendance for program base funding purposes; amend KRS 158.030 and KRS 158.031 to conform; amend KRS 158.060 to remove language that allows for half-day kindergarten programs; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to prohibit a public school district or public charter school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement relating to misconduct involving a minor or student; amend KRS 160.380 to define "abusive conduct"; require school district applicants to disclose being the subject of any disciplinary actions in the previous 12 months relating to abusive conduct and consent to a reference check; require school districts to conduct reference checks; require nonpublic schools and public school districts to disclose any disciplinary actions related to abusive conduct of applicants; provide immunity for disclosures made about school employee conduct; require school districts to request all related information from public and nonpublic schools and the Education Professional Standards Board (ESPB); require schools and EPSB to provide the records; require requests for information to be satisfied in 10 working days; require EPSB to create and implement procedures for information requests; require all school district applicants to list all schools of previous and current employment on the application; require a school district to internally report and investigate to completion all allegations of abusive conduct; require all records relating to an allegation of abusive conduct to be retained in an employee's personnel file unless the allegation is proven false; provide that certain requirements apply to public charter schools; amend KRS 156.160 to direct the Kentucky Board of Education to include employment standards in the voluntary certification standards for private schools; make technical corrections; amend KRS 160.151 to define "certified nonpublic school"; require employees of certified nonpublic schools to submit to a national and state criminal background check and a CA/N check; require certified nonpublic school personnel to have a state criminal background check every 5 years; prohibit a certified nonpublic school from hiring a violent or felony sex crime offender; require a certified nonpublic school to conduct reference checks on all applicants; prohibit a certified nonpublic school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement related to misconduct involving a minor or student; make technical corrections; amend KRS 156.095 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a training related to sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships for employees to undergo every 5 years; make technical corrections; amend KRS 161.151 to conform; require that an allegation of abusive conduct be reported pursuant to KRS 620.030; amend KRS 158.4431, 156.492, and 158.200 to conform.

Amend KRS 160.345 to define "recess"; require each school council to develop and implement a wellness policy that includes 30 minutes of recess for students in kindergarten through grade 5 to be included as part of each full instructional day and 15 minutes of recess on each early dismissal day allows between 15 and 30 minutes of recess per instructional say for students in grades 6 through 12; allows appropriate supervised physical exercise to be used as a student discipline tool during recess; and prohibits the denial of recess unless participation poses an immediate threat to physical safety; require the wellness policy to be adopted and implemented prior to the first student attendance day of the 2026-27 school year.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to require African history instruction in certain middle and high school world history and civilization courses; require Native American history instruction in certain middle and high school United States history courses; require the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate administrative regulations establishing academic standards for the required historical instructions; require superintendents to adopt curricula for required instruction; require the Department of Education to collaborate with the Kentucky Center for African-American Heritage and the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission to develop recommended curricula and instruction guidelines for the required historical instruction, elective high school course offerings in African history and Native American history, and relevant professional development materials.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; prohibit a school district, public school, or cooperative board from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual's religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; prohibit the Kentucky Department of Education, a school district, a public school, or a cooperative board from expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion; prohibit the department, a school district, a public school, or a cooperative board from soliciting statements on an applicant's experience with or views on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin, from providing differential treatment or benefits to an individual based on the individual's participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion training, and from disseminating or profiting from any research, work product, or material that promotes or justifies discriminatory concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion; establish exclusions; authorize the Attorney General to bring an action for a writ of mandamus to compel the department, a school district, a public school or a cooperative board to comply; create a cause of action to permit a qualified individual to file a civil action against a the department, a school district, a cooperative board, or a public school for injunctive relief arising from a violation of this Act; permit recovery of monetary damages for a willful and intentional violation; waive sovereign, governmental, and qualified immunity; prohibit retaliation; require each public school district and cooperative board to provide the State Treasurer the name, job title, duty station, and compensation information of each employee of the school district or cooperative board each month for publication; amend KRS 161.030 to require certain certification applicants to complete an approved professional development program on Kentucky education law; amend KRS 158.4416 and 158.4414 to conform; amend KRS 160.380 to remove language requiting targeted minority recruitment; amend various KRS sections to conform; repeal KRS 156.500 and 161.165; require school districts and cooperative boards to follow designated procedures when implementing this Act including termination or transfer of certain employees; require the Kentucky Department of Education to eliminate the Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging and follow designated procedures when implementing this Act including termination or transfer of certain employees; EFFECTIVE, in part, February 1, 2027; EMERGENCY.