Education

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms and establish student rights related to secular education and religious liberty; direct school districts to establish a formal grievance procedure for students, parents, and staff to report violations of those rights and set minimum requirements for the procedure; create a cause of action for violations of those rights that permits students or parents of students to bring an action for a violation of those rights within 2 years from the date of violation; permit recovery of attorney's fees and costs; waive sovereign and governmental immunity; prohibit retaliation; direct the Kentucky Department of Education to establish model policies, guidance documents, and training materials to assist in implementation by designated dates; direct school districts to provide trainings on compliance during the 2026-2027 school year; amend KRS 158.175 to remove schools' permission to recite the Lord's prayer; remove the requirement for a moment of silence or reflection within the first period of a school day; amend KRS 158.188 to remove references to the Bible and religious aspects of holidays; amend KRS 158.195 to remove the requirement that schools display "In God We Trust" in a prominent location; repeal KRS 158.170, KRS 158.177, and 158.178; provide that the Act may be cited as the Student Secular Bill of Rights.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to require district level employees to provide substitute services in the schools of the district for 1 day of every 20 in-person instructional days.

Amend KRS 157.320 to define "eligible child" and "teaming partner"; amend KRS 157.3175 to require each local school district to provide preschool to 4 year olds who reside in a household with an income at or below 160% of the poverty level until the end of the 2033-2034 school year, and beginning with the 2034-2035 school year require each local school district to provide preschool to each eligible child; provide requirements for program guidelines; require the Kentucky Department of Education to establish and maintain a statewide unified data system; create a new section of KRS Chapter 157 to require local school districts to maintain certification from the Head Start director that Head Start is fully utilized; provide penalties; require local school districts to prepare and submit preschool expansion plans to the deparment; require the department to promulgate administrative regulations regarding preschool expansion; require the department to submit a report the the Legislative Research Commission annually regarding preschool expansion.

Amend KRS 157.320 to define "at risk" and "teaming partner"; amend KRS 157.3175 to require each local school district to provide preschool to 4 year olds who reside in a household with an income at or below 160% of the poverty level until the end of the 2030-2031 school year and beginning with the 2031-2032 school year, require each local school district to provide preschool to each 4 year old who is at risk; provide requirements for program guidelines; require the Kentucky Department of Education to establish and maintain a statewide unified data system; create a new section of KRS Chapter 157 to require local school districts to maintain certification from the Head Start director that Head Start is fully utilized; provide penalties; require local school districts to prepare and submit preschool expansion plans to the deparment; require the department to promulgate administrative regulations regarding preschool expansion; require the department to submit a report the the Legislative Research Commission annually regarding preschool expansion.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 156 to define "grooming behavior"; amend KRS 161.120 to add, current and recent former students to the list of individuals upon which the Education Professional Standards Board may refuse to issue or take disciplinary action against a certificate if the applicant or certificate holder engaged in sexual contact with the specified individuals; amend KRS 160.390 to require superintendents to include employment terms prohibiting sexual contact between an employee of the district and specified individuals; amend KRS 160.1596 to require as a term of the public charter school contract that all employees and contractors refrain from sexual contact with specified individuals; amend KRS 156.160 to require the Kentucky Board of Education to require certified nonpublic schools to require employee prohibitions on sexual contact between an employee of the school and specified individuals.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 199 to define terms; create the Kentucky Kindergarten Readiness Performance-Based Child-Care Incentive Pilot Program; require the University of Kentucky to operate the pilot program; establish the purpose and directives of the pilot program; establish completion date and reporting requirements.

Amend KRS 157.320 to define "eligible child" and "teaming partner"; amend KRS 157.3175 to require each local school district to provide preschool to 4 year olds who reside in a household with an income at or below 160% of the poverty level until the end of the 2033-2034 school year, and beginning with the 2034-2035 school year require each local school district to provide preschool to each eligible child; provide requirements for program guidelines; require the Kentucky Department of Education to establish and maintain a statewide unified data system; create a new section of KRS Chapter 157 to require local school districts to maintain certification from the Head Start director that Head Start is fully utilized; provide penalties; require local school districts to prepare and submit preschool expansion plans to the deparment; require the department to promulgate administrative regulations regarding preschool expansion; require the department to submit a report the the Legislative Research Commission annually regarding preschool expansion.

Amend KRS 160.290 to ensure public school curriculum, textbooks, and instructional materials, including digital learning materials, remain subject to the Open Records Act and that districts protect a resident's fair use rights; amend KRS 160.350 to require a superintendent with total annual compensation greater than the commissioner of education to be subject to confirmation by the Senate; require a majority vote instead of a four-fifths vote of local board of education members to remove a superintendent; delete requirements for approval from the commissioner of education to remove a superintendent; provide an appeal process for the superintendent; amend KRS 160.160 to establish a 1 year term for chair and vice chair of a local board of education; require superintendents to submit reports on closed personnel investigations to the local board of education for the purposes of policy oversight and evaluation of the superintendent's performance; amend KRS 160.180 to make ineligible a candidate for membership on a board of education who engages or serves as an officer or director of an organization that represents district employees in employment or legal matters against the district; require Open Records Act and Open Meetings Act training for local board of education members; make conforming changes; permit the hiring of relatives of a local board of education member; amend KRS 160.380 to prohibit a person convicted of certain specified crimes from being employed by a superintendent; require superintendents to submit reports on previous personnel investigations closed during the superintendent's contract to the local board of education within 30 days of the effective date of this Act.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; establish the Classroom Library Grant Program; provide that the Kentucky Department of Education to implement the grant program through selection of a program administrator; establish the qualifications and duties of the program administrator; appropriate $5,000,000 from the General Fund to implement the Classroom Library Grant Program; APPROPRIATION.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 14 to elect for the Commonwealth to participate in the qualified elementary and secondary education scholarship federal tax credit; designate the Secretary of State as the sole official authorized to report the state's election and submit the required list to the United States Secretary of the Treasury; require the Secretary of State to publish associated administrative regulations and other guidance on a website; authorize the Secretary of State to promulgate administrative regulations to carry out the program; authorize the Secretary of State to collect a fee and accept private contributions to pay for necessary costs and establish requirements for the administration of the funds; waive Eleventh Amendment immunity for the section; amend KRS 141.019 to exclude qualified contributions made to scholarship granting organizations from allowed individual income tax dedications.