Advocating for Kentucky Students in Frankfort

This bill would require the permanent display of a copy of the Ten Commandments in every public elementary and secondary school classroom. The bottom of each copy will read "The secular application of the Ten Commandments is clearly seen in its adoption as the fundamental legal code of Western Civilization and the Common Law of the United States."

KSVT strongly opposes this bill because it clearly violates the Establishment Clause of our Constitution. This could cause many students to feel ostracized and is a thinly veiled attempt to promote Christianity in schools. This bill works against the Kentucky Student Voice Team’s mission of creating more just and democratic schools.

The bill mandates annual updates to the dyslexia toolkit, which provides a resource educators and families to help meet the learning needs of students with dyslexia. It also expands the toolkit to include dysgraphia and requires local school boards to implement policies on dyslexia. It mandates data collection on dyslexia and requires teacher preparation programs to include dyslexia instruction.

The KSVT is in support of HB 272 because it promotes equitable educational opportunities by supporting students with specific learning disabilities.

This bill will appropriate necessary funds for local school districts to provide a five percent salary increase to eligible employees in fiscal year 2025-2026.

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KSVT is in support of HB 271 because it advocates for fair compensation for educators which is well deserved. Investing in educators is investing in Kentucky schools and communities.

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This bill would require school districts to provide a free and full-day preschool education program for eligible three and four-year-olds and to provide transportation. It also removes language allowing kindergarten to operate for less than six hours on a school day. Eligible school districts will receive funding based on the average number of three-year-olds enrolled, and the number of four-year-olds enrolled will be included in attendance of the elementary school offering preschool education for funding purposes. 

KSVT is in support of HB 300 because of the various benefits that children receive from attending preschool. This would also be a great support to families by reducing their payments for childcare.

House Bill 36 is an act relating to misconduct. This bill prevents public and charter schools from using nondisclosure agreements to hide misconduct involving students. It also requires school district applicants to disclose any history of misconduct related to abusive conduct and mandate reference checks. Public and private schools must report records of abuse allegations, conduct background checks, and prohibit the hiring of individuals with violent or sexual felony convictions. Lastly, the bill requires that the Kentucky Department of Education implement mandatory training on sexual misconduct every five years.

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KSVT supports House Bill 36 as it promotes administrative transparency and aims to protect students. This bill also encourages continuous education and training for teachers, ultimately benefiting the school system.

This bill further funds school safety by giving teachers wearable panic buttons. The panic alert systems would send a message directly to 911 and distribute integrated officials of the school and any emergency services. The buttons will also be able to initiate for a school lockdown and provide access to school cameras and other useful data to the situation. This program provide a 50% match to school districts' costs for the implementation of the wearable panic alert system and maintenance.

KSVT supports this bill because it would help students and teachers reach safety more quickly and reduce the response time of first responders.

This bill requires social studies courses to provide instruction on the contributions of indigenous people, people of color, people from other marginalized non-European groups, and LGBT people to the history of the U.S. and Kentucky. It aims to require teaching all Kentucky students diverse U.S. history curriculums.

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KSVT is in support of this bill as it is necessary for students to feel represented in history lessons whether it be nationwide or within the state's history. Also, at a time when other states have banned diverse education, KSVT is in support of students having a well-rounded understanding of the events of our country's past.

House Bill 240 requires kindergarten students to be given a universal screener in the last ten instruction days of the year. Students who do not display adequate learning will be held back for another year of instruction. It prohibits students who turn seven by August 1st from remaining in kindergarten. It requires the school to reevaluate the learning program of the child repeating kindergarten.

KSVT acknowledges the possible benefits of this bill to struggling students. Some of the language such as "universal screener" is vague, and its applications are non-specific. However, we do not feel fully qualified to speak on what educational reforms may or may not work for kindergarten students.

House Bill 74 requires public schools with grades 4-12 to provide free feminine hygiene products and require local school boards to create policies for distribution.

KSVT is in support of this bill as it aims to providing essential hygiene products for students.

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Senate Bill 48 aims to establish the Kentucky Proud School Match Program fund which will reimburse an eligible school district $0.33 for every meal reimbursed by the provision. Schools that receive such reimbursement must develop a Kentucky Proud school plan, which needs to identify and purchase Kentucky-grown agriculture products to optimize food usage.

KSVT recognizes the benefits of this bill for low income schools by funding opportunities, but wants to recognize administrative transparency and hopes schools utilize funds adequate to benefit students.

This bill expands the number of courses students may receive dual credit scholarships for. This includes two career and technical courses per school year along with two general education courses during junior and senior years. This bill also removes the rule that the scholarship amount would decrease if the course is not successfully completed. Scholarships will be awarded in the order of application date.

KSVT supports this bill because it makes career and technical dual credit courses more accessible for students who wish to take them. Scholarships for dual credit courses support students in attaining college credits while they are still in high school.

This bill would mandate a moment of silence or reflection to be held at the start of each school day. It will be between one and two minutes and students will remain seated and silent during its duration. Each student may choose to pray, meditate, or engage in another silent activity that doesn't distract others. District personnel may not provide instruction to students on the nature of the reflection they may engage in.

While it is important to note that this bill does not allow staff members to outright instruct students to pray, if they cannot provide students with instruction on what to use this time for, this could cause confusion for students on the purpose of this period of silence. KSVT opposes this bill because we do not feel that students would benefit greatly from a minute of silent reflection in their day. We also have concerns about the bill’s potential to blur the lines between church and state.

House Bill 66 aims to remove a provision from KRS 164.020 which makes the Council on Postsecondary Education wait to approve new programs at state colleges if they haven't met equal educational opportunity goals. The bill also makes changes to conform and remove outdated language about staggering initial terms.

KSVT is not in support this bill as the team recognizes the importance of equal educational opportunity goals, and supports the upkeep of the such institutions.

This bill aims to abolish the Council on Postsecondary Education and transfer the authorities and responsibilities to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). Additionally, all personnel, records, files, equipment, and funds currently under the jurisdiction of the Council would be reassigned to KHEAA. To ensure student representation, the bill mandates the addition of three student members to the KHEAA board.

KSVT is concerned that this bill would lead to a lack of independent oversight in higher education. Shifting responsibilities from the CPE to KHEAA could weaken state-wide policy advocacy and create conflicts of interest. This transition could disrupt governance and financial aid processes, ultimately affecting student's access and success in higher education.

The bill would allow the reading or posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools. It does not specify whether the postings will be required and says this can occur in a classroom, at an event, or in the general school building.

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KSVT is opposed to HB 116 because it does not allow for religious freedom in public schools since it is promoting Christianity.

This bill will require require public middle and high school history classes to cover instruction on African and Native American history relevant to the time period covered by the course, unless they are advanced placement classes. It also requires that the Department of Education will work with organizations like Kentucky Center for African-American Heritage and the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission to make curriculums and develop high school elective courses on African and Native American history.

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KSVT is in support of HB 119 because we believe students deserve to have unbiased history lessons that cover diverse histories and cultures. Without this bill's passing, students may learn a strictly Eurocentric history in which they may not be represented.

This bill would amend Kentucky law in order to prohibit school disciplinary actions that unfairly target students on the basis of race. It also expands the definition of racially discriminatory school policies to include policies that target traits associated with race including specific hairstyles.

KSVT is in support of this bill because it ensures that Kentucky's students of color will be subjected to less unfair discrimination due to their race, contributing to a more just school system.

This bill limits availability for gender neutral bathrooms in a specified school building. Only 5% of bathrooms could be gender neutral and 95% of bathrooms would be for a specified biological sex.

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KSVT is opposed to this bill because it is harmful towards youth who do not identify with the sex assigned to specific bathrooms. This bill is very prejudiced and the specific percentages of restrooms outlined would be difficult to enforce.

This bill would allow the use of cameras on school buses and allow the enforcement of a fine for stop-arm camera violations recorded by a camera monitoring system. The revenue generated from the violations will be retained by the school district. There will also be a suspension of motor vehicle registration for a failure to pay the penalty. There is also an increase in the maximum fines charged for failing to stop for a bus.

KSVT is in support of this bill because it contribute to the overall safety of students.

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HB 48 would increase the time period between mandatory summary evaluations for tenured school staff from once every three years to once every five years. Additional summative evaluations will be at the discretion of the staff member's supervisor. This also requires the Department of Education to create a recurring four-year professional development training schedule. Teachers will also be able to access their teaching contracts upon request and there is no longer a mandated formal induction program for new teachers. This also prohibits the Department of Education from requiring comprehensive school improvement plans that are not required by federal law.

KSVT supports this bill because it has bipartisan support and attempts to streamline administrative processes for teachers.

This bill would allow local school districts to authorize the voluntary recitation of the Lord's Prayer along with the traditional Pledge, as well as require school districts to develop policies that give every student the ability to recite the Pledge each day. It also requires school districts to develop curriculums around respectful treatment of the flag. In addition, it would require that all public Kentucky schools mandate a "moment of silence" for students and staff between 1-2 minutes at the beginning of each school day.

KSVT is in opposition to this bill due to its irresponsible blurring of the line between church and state.

This bill would invalidate Governor Andy Beshear's 2024 executive order that banned the use of federal funds for the practice of conversion therapy.

KSVT is opposed to this bill because it blatantly disregards the rights of our state's queer citizens and will enable the continuation of an inhumane and discriminatory practice.

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Also known as the "New Voices Act", this bill would ensure a slew of new protections for student journalists. It seeks to counteract the 1988 Supreme Court Case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, which gave school administrators to censor "school-sponsored media" at their will. It allows for censorship of student media only if it meets a stricter standard for harm.

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KSVT is in support of this bill because it will greatly expand the freedom of student journalists across Kentucky and encourage more youth to express themselves freely.

This bill requires all school board elections to have a partisan election. Candidates will have partisan labels and emblems associated with them on the ballot.

KSVT opposes this bill because it makes school board elections unnecessarily political. Kentucky has long separated partisan associations from school board elections, and this threatens the non-partisan history of education governance at the local level in Kentucky.

This bill would amend Kentucky law in order to prohibit school disciplinary actions that unfairly target students on the basis of race, and expand the definition of racially discriminatory school policies to include policies that target traits associated with race including specific hairstyles.

KSVT is in support of this bill because it ensures that Kentucky's students of color will be subjected to less unfair discrimination due to their race, contributing to a more just school system.