FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Beginning Friday, June 27, there will be new standards in place for teacher-student communication in Kentucky.
Senate Bill 181, going into effect that day, puts a major emphasis on improving school safety.
"I filed this bill last year, and this year as well...it didn't get a lot of attention last year," Lindsey Tichenor, Kentucky Senator from District 6, said.
The bill mandates that all electronic communication between school staff, coaches, volunteers, and students must be conducted through designated, traceable platforms.
"What drew me to this was the growing problem of grooming that we have happening within our school system," Tichenor noted.
A key part of the bill is to prevent abuse.
"This was really about cutting off that access point where bad actors are accessing students and building those relationships," Tichenor said.
With many of those happening on social media as Tichenor puts it, this bill is also designed to reinstate guardrails that used to exist.
"Kind of going back to what is an appropriate relationship between a person in authority and a child," Tichenor said.
Superintendent of Frankfort Independent Schools, Sheri Satterly 100% gets the intent behind the bill.
"The thought behind it is genuine in wanting to protect underage students from harm," Satterly said.
From an administrative standpoint, every district is required to have an opt-out form. Unless parents provide written consent, the bill restricts staff and volunteers from using personal devices, social media or third party apps to communicate with students.
"There will need to be a form for every single student for every single adult that they are giving permission," Satterly noted.
Satterly says she's had high-level conversations with her leadership team about the changes with this message in mind:
"We're recommending better safe than sorry. We don't want anybody to be put into a position that they wouldn't want to be put into," Satterly said.
Satterly adds that they have to have a board policy on the bill by June 27 on traceable communication, as well as the opt out form, along with a board approved platform for traceable communication.
"I'm a little concerned about the administrative lift...now of course we're not a very large district, so I can't imagine what that would be like in a large district," Satterly noted.
Regardless of the details, Tichenor calls it a small change...a small adjustment.
"We'll figure it out, we'll work our way through it, but I think once we get a good system in place, everybody's going to be happy with it, the parents, administrators, teachers, volunteers, coaches. I think the ultimate goal is good and solid with 100 percent support around this legislation. Everybody knows that this is something that we need to address and take care of, so in the long run, it's gonna be a great thing for our schools," Tichenor said.
Tichenor said she met with the attorney from the Kentucky School Boards Association and they sent out a frequently asked questions survey about the bill.
"Sometimes we'll pass bills and there's some things we didn't think through so we're going to probably go back in and make a few changes and adjustments so that everything is clear and there aren't a lot of questions," Tichenor added.
Susan Cintra from Madison County Schools told LEX 18 she has concerns about the cost up front for each school district also considering how quickly the bill went into effect.
"It's a continuation of an attack on public education that undermines the professionalism of those who work with students every single day," Cintra said.
Tichenor says any changes will be addressed in the legislative session in 2026.
