A bill to end cell phone use by public school students during instructional time received bipartisan support. (Getty Images)
FRANKFORT — From banning cell phones to banning DEI, the Kentucky General Assembly voted to make changes in public education before breaking last week for a 10-day veto period.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear can now weigh in on bills from the Republican-controlled legislature. However, when lawmakers return to Frankfort March 27, they can override any vetoes the governor issues.
Beshear has already signed some legislation into law, including a bill that Senate Republican Floor Leader Max Wise, of Campbellsville, has called an attempt to modernize Kentucky’s name, image and likeness laws for student athletes at Kentucky’s universities. Senate Bill 3, signed by Beshear last week, is the General Assembly’s response to anti-trust lawsuits against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The bill has had support from the athletic directors of the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville.
Beshear may also choose to let legislation become law without his signature — a way to not give a true endorsement of a policy.
Here are some education bills on Beshear’s desk:
Moment of silence, moral instruction
The Senate concurred on Friday with House changes to Senate Bill 19, which not only mandates a moment of silence at the beginning of school days, but now also allows public schools to let students leave school for an hour a week for “moral instruction.”
If the legislation becomes law, students would start each school day with a moment of silence in which they may “meditate, pray or engage in any other silent activity” for one to two minutes. Local school boards would have to adopt policies around the moments of silence, including that school personnel cannot instruct students “regarding the nature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of silence or reflection.”
The House addition stems from a bill that never got a hearing before it was added to the Senate bill in a House committee Thursday morning. Entities who wish to provide students with moral instruction must submit written requests to school boards. Ohio has a similar policy to allow public school students to receive moral instruction during school hours.
Coaches’ reporting duties
This Democratic-backed bill received bipartisan support in the General Assembly. Senate Bill 120 would require that coaches and administrators be informed during training sessions that they have a duty to report instances of child neglect or abuse. Also, consent forms for students participating in school sports must include the information that student athletes may report instances of child dependency, neglect or abuse to any adult. The bill prohibits seventh- and eighth-graders from participating in high school varsity lacrosse. teams
School Innovation Act
Dubbed the School Innovation Act, Senate Bill 207 would allow public schools to seek exemptions from the Kentucky Board of Education from certain state laws or regulations., The board must consider if granting the waiver would hinder or improve “student academic achievement.” The House added provisions to establish the State Quality Curriculum Task Force, which would create a list of approved “current and high quality textbooks and instructional materials” for Kentucky schools.
End DEI in higher education
One of the most attention-grabbing bills this session, House Bill 4, would eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at Kentucky’s public universities and colleges. Democrats repeatedly railed against the bill but the Republican supermajority gave its repeated support this session.
Last week, Beshear told reporters that he’d review the legislation, but “anything that is telling any of our Kentuckians that they are lesser than someone else, we shouldn’t be doing.” He also did not want to enact laws that could deter enrollment at the state’s universities.
“We should be welcoming people of all different backgrounds into our commonwealth, encouraging making more room at the table for more voices,” the governor said. “That doesn’t kick someone else out of being at the table. It just adds another chair that I think makes us a better commonwealth.
No cell phones in class
A Republican-backed bill to ban students from using cell phones in public schools received bipartisan support this legislative session. Under House Bill 208, local school boards would have to adopt a policy that prevents students from using cell phones during instructional time with some exceptions, such as during an emergency or if allowed by a teacher. The Senate gave its approval to the bill Friday.
Extra year of kindergarten, first grade
Kentucky kindergarten and first-grade students would be required to take a universal screener before advancing to the next grade under House Bill 240. Starting with the 2025-26 school year, students who do not reach reading benchmarks or are “not properly prepared to succeed” in the next grade will remain in kindergarten or first grade for another year.
Disaster relief days
Though its passage was up in the air after the Senate added relief for a controversial virtual school, legislators ultimately sent House Bill 241 to the governor’s desk. In its final version, the bill includes not only pathways for schools to gain extra calamity days after being closed for winter weather and floods, but also creates guardrails to limit enrollment at the Kentucky Virtual Academy, which has raised concerns about poor student performance and failure to meet staffing requirements.
Annual reviews
The Kentucky Department of Education reviews schools every three years for Comprehensive Support and Improvement status, or CSI. However, should House Bill 298 become law, the department would annually conduct that review. Schools with a CSI status must work on turnaround programs to improve learning conditions for their students. The legislation has had support from Republicans and Democrats.
Tenure in question
Beshear can take action on a bill that Kentucky professors have warned would erode academic tenure at the state’s public universities and colleges. Among the policies set in House Bill 424, the legislation would give universities and colleges the ability to remove faculty members and presidents for not meeting “performance and productivity requirements” set by the institutions’ boards.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.