Advocating for Kentucky Students in Frankfort

Senate Bill 5 would require local school boards to adopt a complaint resolution policy to address parent complaints and concerns about classroom materials they suspect to be "harmful to minors." This is classified as material that is deemed obscene or offensive to existing standards of what is suitable materials for students. It also requires the school to make sure that a student whose parent has filed a complaint does not have access to the material in question. This resolution policy is outlined in the bill as includes various requirements including that the school principal will determine whether student access to the material in question should be restricted and this decision will be subject to review by the local board of education.

KSVT opposes this legislation. While the premise of the legislation appears to be reasonable and benign, legislation that restricts our access to information and appears to be harmless on paper has historically and consistently been enforced in a discriminatory manner. PEN America states that over 40% of titles that have been banned across the country have protagonists or prominent characters who are LGBTQIA+ and 40% of banned titles feature prominent characters of color.  According to KSVT's Race to Learn report, 46% of students of color report that their racial or ethnic group is rarely or never represented in materials in the classroom. Furthermore, most Kentucky school boards already have policies in place to address parent concerns and restrict student access to obscene material. Legislation like Senate Bill 5 will only create more opportunities for the erasure of the stories of marginalized groups from classrooms, leaving students isolated and ill-equipped to interact with the diverse world they live in.

House Bill 82 requires local school boards to require a policy on dyslexia and to include items listed in KRS 158.307. The bill also requires that schools with teacher preparation programs include instruction on dyslexia by the 2024-25 school year.

KSVT is in support of House Bill 82. The team recognizes that the legislation will provide needed support for students with dyslexia. The legislation improves teacher preparation and handling and can overall aid literacy rates in Kentucky.

House Bill 504 changes school funding from being based upon average daily membership instead of the current system, average daily attendance (ADA). In short, funding is based on enrollment instead of attendance.

KSVT supports this legislation because average daily attendance (ADA) is outdated. ADA disproportionately impacts schools in lower income areas and fails to account for the mental health of students. By basing funding on membership, students can take the time needed for their health without impacting the funding of their school for doing so.

House Bill 470 bans gender affirming healthcare to children 18 years or younger and says such treatment is "unethical and unprofessional conduct." Such treatment is subject to investigation under this legislation, and if a healthcare provider is found to have provided these services, their license is to be revoked and they are liable for any costs and damages sustained, and the same is true for any insurance company who insures a patient. HB470 classifies failure to report these services as a crime. This bill also bans public funding to be used to support gender affirming care. School counselors would not be allowed to assist students in receiving gender affirming care and would require that a school notifies a parent if a child expresses a change sex or gender identity.

KSVT strongly opposes the so-called "Do No Harm Act," because this legislation, if passed, would severely harm the health of youth across Kentucky. All students deserve to feel like they belong in their school and Kentucky, and House Bill 470 would treat those who assist a student's sense of belonging by helping them seek gender affirming care as criminals. Furthermore, it robs trans students of the safe and inclusive environment their school should provide, causing schools to be another place when trans youth are victimized and attacked for the simple act of expressing themselves.

SB 132, the New Voices Act will protect student journalists, publications and advisors by recognizing that student journalists have the right to free of speech and press. It would also mandate that unless libelous, obscene, or a violation of federal law, student journalists and their advisors are not allowed to face prior restraint or be disciplined for publishing works through a school sponsored media publication. And finally, the bill requires each local school board to adopt a policy enforcing the bill.

KSVT supports this legislation as student journalism is crucial in giving students the power and platform to help to tell their stories and create positive change in schools. Read more here.

HB 390 will direct the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) to create the Student Teacher Stipend Program, paying $8,000 to student teachers. In addition, HB 390 will create the Teacher Recruitment Student Loan Forgiveness Program. The Program will award a one-time payment of 20% of an individual's student debt (up to $10,000) provided they teach for two years.

KSVT supports this legislation. Teachers are a necessity for a safe and productive classroom environment. Economic barriers to becoming a teacher have led to a teacher shortage, threatening the education of Kentucky's students. These measures take honorable steps to ease the transition into teaching.

HB 327 would require that any world history or world civilization course offered by a public middle or high school that is not an AP course must include instruction on African history and Native American culture and history. These courses will be designed by the Kentucky Board of Education in partnership with the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage  and the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission.

KSVT is in support of House Bill 387. Students deserve to have a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the diverse world they live in. Ensuring that we have the resources and education needed to have a complete understanding of our country's history, in every aspect, is a necessity to navigate today's world.

HB173 will establish a complaint system for when a parent believes those rights have been violated. The bill will require parents to be notified of significant changes in “a child’s gender expression” and the name/pronouns the child uses at school. The parent will also have rights to review curriculum and provide consent to a number of school actions. The bill will ban any policies that would punish an employee for “for refusal or failure to use a name or other identifier in reference to a child that is inconsistent with the child’s information listed on the school enrollment documentation.” HB173 will ban affinity groups around any protected class. The bill will restrict bathroom access for transgender Kentucky students. HB173 will ban teacher-promoted social advocacy for “controversial” subjects. It will also prohibit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender expression that is “inconsistent with biological sex” through eighth grade and restricts such discussion beyond eighth grade to approved curriculum. School employees, under the bill, will not be allowed to discuss their own sexual orientation, sexual preference, or gender expression if it is “inconsistent with their biological sex.” HB173 will ban symbols of sexual orientation or gender expression that are “inconsistent with biological sex,” which includes Pride flags. The bill will also prohibit drag shows within schools.

KSVT believes that HB173 is an egregious bill designed to target LGBTQ+ Kentuckians, intentionally creating hostile spaces for these students, that is being delivered under the guise of “parent rights.” 

This bill is framed as a “parental rights” bill. The bill will require parent consent for a number of actions including medical procedures, recording, and education around STDs and sexuality. The bill will ban STD and sexuality education through the 5th grade. Additionally, it will require parental consent for changes to preferred names and pronouns, although it will provide that school personnel will not have to respect parent consent to such changes. It will also allow parents to opt-out of curriculum that does not align with their values.

KSVT opposes this bill as it creates an unsafe environment for transgender Kentuckian students.

House Bill 136 would add additional voting student members to higher education boards of trustees in Kentucky.

HB 136 is a fantastic way to include students in the conversation. Since students are the primary stakeholders of their education, legislation like HB 136 is a pivotal step to expand student voice.

SB150 primarily centers around 2 concepts: what information parents have access to about their students and how curriculum surrounding sexuality is taught. Under this legislation, schools would be required to notify parents if their student receives any health or mental health services from the school. Additionally, the Kentucky Board of Education and local school boards cannot adopt or recommend any policies with the intent of keeping any student information confidential from parents. Building on this, the Kentucky Board of Education, Kentucky Department of Education, and local school districts cannot require that schools use a student’s preferred pronouns if they do not align with their assigned sex at birth. Regarding the curriculum aspect of the bill, any school offering curriculum regarding sexuality must allow parents to decline their child’s participation in the course and be provided with an alternate course, review the curriculum and any tests, assignments, surveys, materials, plans, or resources accompanying it. 

KSVT strongly opposes this legislation, as It outrightly targets transgender students by creating an unsafe environment for them both in school and potentially at home. Every student deserves to have a safe, inclusive environment to learn and grow in. SB150 would strip this from students across the state, posing a substantial threat to their well being. 

HB 203 covers a multitude of curriculum changes and clarifications, the most pertinent of which would require public middle and high schools to include instruction on the history of racism including (but not limited to): the transatlantic slave trade, the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, black codes, desegregation, the civil rights movement, redlining, and residential segregation. 

KSVT supports this bill, recognizing that students deserve honest and accurate descriptions of history. Learning the truth will prepare us to engage with the diverse and complex world we live in and help ensure that history is not repeated. 

SB63 would require every local board of education to include prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race in their code of behavior. It would also ban discrimination in schools and workplaces on the basis of hairstyles.

KSVT is in full support of this bill as it works to combat racial exclusion and allows schools to continue building an inclusive environment for every student.

This bill would require schools to designate all multiple-person-capacity restrooms/locker rooms/bathroom facilities as either male or female-only, and would require students to only use the facilities associated with their assigned sex at birth. For students not comfortable doing so, the bill requires parental permission to request other “accommodations,” which cannot include the use of any space used by students of the “opposite biological sex.”

KSVT strongly opposes this bill which targets already-vulnerable transgender and queer students and lays out policies that would make bathroom use complex, confusing, and dangerous for students who don’t identify with their assigned sex at birth. Read more here. 

House Bill 60 would amend KRS 158.175 to require a 1-2 minute moment of silence in all public schools in Kentucky.

KSVT strongly opposes this bill as it has an inherently religious purpose that will isolate some Kentuckians, going against the growing need to increase inclusion in schools. Read more here.

All public and charter schools with grades 4-12 must make free feminine hygiene products (i.e period products) available to students.

KSVT supports this bill, as providing feminine hygiene products for students helps to combat period poverty (the inability to purchase or have access to period supplies) in Kentucky as well as helping to create a culture of normality and compassion around periods in schools.

SB 22 would alter the current Kentucky Board of Education guidelines and allow the student board member to vote on issues during KBE meetings. 

Student representation is critical, especially in decision-making spaces like the Kentucky Board of Education. Providing voting rights to the student representative would be a major step in the right direction in bringing students into the conversation. 

HB 161 is a bipartisan effort that would add non-voting student members to every district school board in the state.

KSVT is in full support of this legislation. Students can bring a unique perspective to school board meetings. As the primary stakeholders in Kentucky schools, we deserve to have a seat at the table. The fact that the effort is bipartisan is evidence that both political parties understand the value that student voices can bring to conversations surrounding educational policy. Learn more about our thoughts on this bill here. Read more about what others are saying about this legislation here.

The Council of Postsecondary, the Education Professional Standards Board, the Kentucky Board of Education, and Secretary of State’s office will convene to reevaluate curriculum for teaching the constitution.

As of now, the resolution is fine. What would make it even better is to have a more significant capacity for students to provide input in the process, but there will already be some student input because of the student board member on the Board of Education.