Public schools across Kentucky will see some changes starting Wednesday thanks to new laws the General Assembly passed this year, touching on student safety, school administration, school discipline and more.
Unless lawmakers specify otherwise, most laws in Kentucky go into effect on Wednesday, including many bills aimed at reforming public schools. Some of the laws this year only applied to one school district — Jefferson County Public Schools, the state’s largest by far.
School safety & discipline
Senate Bill 101 responds to calls from Kentucky teacher unions to prioritize teachers’ safety in the classroom by requiring more disciplinary action. The new law requires districts to expel middle and high schoolers for at least a year if the student injured or tried to injure school staff or property, especially if they used a weapon. It also expands definitions to include student conduct at bus stops and puts new requirements in place for certain expelled students to complete before being allowed to return to school.
In an attempt to better protect students entering and exiting school buses, House Bill 7 allows school districts to install “stop arm cameras.” Better be careful — a first offense is $300 and after that the penalty goes up to $500.
Targeting Jefferson County Public Schools
In a move familiar to close watchers of the state legislature, Republicans once again are limiting the powers of the Jefferson County Board of Education in favor of its superintendent. The Kentucky Supreme Court previously ruled that a strikingly similar attempt is unconstitutional, but supporters argue that ruling left the door open to try, try again, this time with a lengthy list of reasons preceding it.
Senate Bill 1, which directly targets Kentucky’s largest school district, requires the board to delegate day-to-day operations and requires four of five board members to reject any of the superintendent’s policies or rules. It also gives the superintendent authority to move around and approve contracts up to $250,000 without board input.
Most of the provisions of another high profile law targeting JCPS, Senate Bill 4, have already taken effect via an emergency provision. That includes portions cutting the Jefferson County Board of Education down from seven members to five and creating new district maps. However, another portion taking effect Wednesday creates the Center of American Civics at the University of Kentucky and redesignates the McConnell Center as an independent unit at the University of Louisville.
Administrator pay
Administrator pay increases must now be tied to the percentage pay increase provided to classroom teachers, under Senate Bill 2. The education commissioner can grant a waiver, but generally public school district administrators and superintendents can see no big jumps in salary until teachers get the same. One small portion of the bill did already go into effect thanks to an emergency provision — principals of struggling public schools identified for support and improvement for two or more years in a row can be summarily removed by the superintendent.
Protecting children from grooming
House Bill 4 defines and criminalize so-called “grooming” behaviors — tactics abusers use to gain the trust of children, desensitize them to sexual abuse and keep the abuse hidden. Researchers say grooming usually precedes sexual assault. The measure makes it a felony, with up to 10 years in prison, for an adult in a position of “authority or special trust,” such as an educator, coach or church leader, to groom a child. Other adults not in positions of special trust can only be found guilty of grooming children 13 and under.