During the 2025 legislative session, the General Assembly passed several laws impacting schools that The Family Foundation supported. The new school year will be the first with these new laws in effect, so parents and teachers alike should be up to date on what has changed in the education sphere. Here are the most important new laws to be aware of:
- HB 208 requires local school districts to adopt a policy that prohibits phones in schools during instructional time with a few minor exceptions. The law allows teachers to determine when devices are necessary for instructional purposes and authorize their use for that limited purpose. This legislation is an important step in eliminating distractions at school and protecting kids from the harms of technology and the internet. Check with your local school board to find out about your district’s specific policy.
- SB 181 requires school employees and volunteers to get parental permission to communicate with students outside of school-approved traceable communication platforms. Each school district must designate at least one traceable communication platform for employees and volunteers to use when sending traceable messages to students. This legislation came about after several reports of inappropriate communications between school employees and students in recent years, including cases where school employees attempted to “social transition” students behind parents’ backs. Check with your local school district to see which traceable communication platforms they have authorized. If an employee or volunteer is violating SB 181, report that individual to the school and school district that employs him.
- SB 19 requires schools to provide at least one minute and up to two minutes of time for a moment of silence to start each school day. Students may use this time in any way they wish, as long as they remain seated and silent. This time will allow students who wish to pray before the start of the school day to do so without interruption; however, this bill does not impose mandatory school prayer. We encourage parents to talk to their kids about how they can best use this moment of silence.
- SB 19 also sets out a process for students to receive moral instruction during the school day. It allows organizations to petition local school boards for permission to host classes on moral instruction for one hour per week off campus. This could allow students in public schools to have the opportunity to attend an off-campus Bible class once per week while receiving full credit for school attendance. The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that these classes do not violate the First Amendment (Zorach v Clauson). The Family Foundation has partnered with LifeWise Academy to bring these Bible classes to counties all around Kentucky. If you are interested in supporting such a program in your local district, please contact The Family Foundation, LifeWise Academy, and your local school board.
Finally, there is one important law impacting higher education that will be in effect starting this school year. HB 4 bans and defunds discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at public colleges and universities. The bill also requires institutional neutrality, protecting the right of students and faculty to express their political, social, and religious opinions without threat of retaliation for those opinions. HB 4 was necessary to ensure that government-funded institutions are not discriminating against students or faculty based on improper reasons. While this bill did not address DEI at the K-12 level, The Family Foundation will be supporting efforts to ban it there as well next session.
