This Senate resolution formally acknowledges the importance of student wellness and physical activity in Kentucky schools. It encourages schools to expand exercise opportunities through the Empowered by Movement initiative, which aims to integrate supervised physical activity into the school day. The measure also recognizes Senator Claire Yates for her advocacy work in promoting youth health and wellness. As a symbolic resolution, it does not create new laws or funding but expresses official Senate support for these wellness initiatives.
Direct the Kentucky Department of Education to study expanding access to free and reduced-price school meals at schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; establish the Kentucky Farm to School Program and program fund; direct the Department of Agriculture to reimburse an eligible school district for every eligible meal as funds become available; require a school district that receives a reimbursement to develop and implement a Kentucky Farm to School Program plan to identify and purchase available Kentucky-grown agricultural products and to optimize food usage; direct the Department of Agriculture to promulgate administrative regulations necessary to carry out this section; provide that the Act may be cited as the Kentucky Farm to School Act.
Amend KRS 158.162 to define "critical incident," require investigations in emergency plans for critical incidents and state the goals of the investigations; amend KRS 158.4410 to task the state school security marshal with investigating serious physical injury or death incidents that occur on school property, at school-sanctioned events, or during interscholastic athletic events; create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to outline the parameters of the investigation, require referral of potential criminal charges, and require necessary administrative regulations; amend KRS 72.025 to require the coroner conduct an autopsy in deaths occurring on public or nonpublic school property or during a school-sanctioned event.
Direct the Kentucky Department of Education to collect certain data regarding school nurses and report the information to the Legislative Research Commission by December 31, 2026.
Amend KRS 156.502 to define "medication" and "sunscreen"; require local boards of education to adopt a policy authorizing students in kindergarten through grade 5 to carry and self administer sunscreen with parent permission and allow students in grades 6 to 12 to carry and self-administer sunscreen; require board policy to cover possession and use in various settings; amend KRS 194A.380 to define "sunscreen"; create a new section of KRS 194A.380 to 194A.383 to require youth camps to adopt a policy authorizing a child to carry and self-administer sunscreen.
HB 277 bans Kentucky public schools from selling or providing ultra-processed foods containing specific additives (like certain dyes and brominated oils) during the school day, starting in the 2027-2028 school year. It directly affects all Kentucky public schools and students by prohibiting these foods in cafeterias, vending machines, school stores, and student-organized fundraisers held during school hours. The bill defines "ultra-processed food" by listing 11 specific additives with their chemical identifiers, but does not restrict food sales at off-property fundraisers or outside school hours. This policy change aims to limit student access to foods containing the listed additives during the school day.
Amend KRS 160.345 to require a school council to adopt a policy requiring students to be assigned a lunch period of at least 30 minutes in length; amend KRS 158.153 to conform.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define "feminine hygiene product"; require each public school and public charter school that includes any of grades 4 through 12 to provide free feminine hygiene products to female students; require each local board of education and public charter school board of directors to adopt policies relating to the distribution of free feminine hygiene products.
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.
