LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The first day of school is about a month away for Jefferson County Public Schools students, and several new Kentucky laws are bringing changes before they return.

The new laws, many of which take effect Wednesday, cover everything from student discipline and school bus safety to school board governance and superintendent authority.

Here's what families should know before students head back to class.

Senate Bill 101

Senate Bill 101 requires a one-year expulsion for any student in grades 6-12 who is determined to have "intentionally caused or attempted to cause physical injury to a school district employee on school property or at a school function under the board's jurisdiction."

If the school board finds that the student intentionally injured or tried to injure a school employee, the student will be expelled for at least one year. The law also requires school employees to immediately report those incidents to law enforcement, with criminal penalties for anyone who intentionally fails to do so.

JCPS doesn't use expulsion, so the Superintendent Brian Yearwood said those students would instead likely be reassigned to an alternative school, such as Minor Daniels Academy or Breckinridge Metropolitan High School, with exceptions for some students with disabilities.

"The alternative schools, there are specialized trainings that occur," Yearwood said. "There are protocols in place so that when students enter those alternative schools, they are ready for certain types of behaviors that were perhaps inappropriate at their local schools."

The law also expands the district's jurisdiction to include bus stops, meaning JCPS can enforce rules there too.

"I compliment our general assembly in that work supporting that," Yearwood said. "And we plan to follow through and make sure that every day is a safe day not only for our staff but for our students." 

The bill also states that school boards must adopt a policy that requires disciplinary actions "up to and including expulsion from school" for students who physically assault or abuse another student on school property or at a school function, or who physically assault or abuse school other students off school property and the incident is likely to substantially disrupt the educational process.

 Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 4

Senate Bills 1 and 4 have been among the most closely watched education laws passed this year, and JCPS has spent the past several months preparing for them.

While both were vetoed by Gov. Andy Beshear, the Senate and House of Representatives overrode them.

Part of SB 1 will shift more authority to JCPS superintendent Brian Yearwood by requiring a two-thirds vote of the Jefferson County Board of Education to override decisions instead of a simple majority.

Yearwood will get more authority on daily operations such as contracts, transportation, personnel matters and organizational structures. The board will still approve the overall budget and set the tax rate, but anything SB1 doesn't specifically spell out will default to the superintendent.

In his veto message, Beshear said the bill violates a 2022 ruling that stated JCPS could not be treated differently than other districts in the state.

The board has already discussed at previous meetings how it would rewrite nearly 100 policies to comply with the new law.

Under SB 4, all JCPS board seats will be up for election this November, regardless of when members were last elected.

The bill also reduces the board from seven members to five, which Beshear said would "diminish representation of voters," when he vetoed the bill.

The board already made temporary district assignments back in May so it could comply with the new law before the election.

Only three of the seven current members filed to run again. James Craig resigned from his board seat last month.

Both bills received mixed reviews from board members and community organizations since their introduction. 

House Bill 7

House Bill 7 allows school districts to install camera monitoring systems on school buses to enforce stop-arm violations.

The cameras can record a vehicle's license plate along with the time, date, and location of the violation.

Drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus can receive a $300 civil penalty for a first offense and $500 for additional violations within three years. The money collected stays with the school district operating the cameras.

JCPS has said it wants to use the technology but is still looking for a vendor before deciding when cameras could be installed.

House Bill 4

House Bill 4, which passed unanimously through the House and Senate, makes grooming a minor a criminal offense.

Under the bill, grooming would be considered a misdemeanor and a person could face up to one year in jail. The charge increases to a felony if the child is younger than 12.

Additionally, part of House Bill 253 with provisions from House Bill 102 focuses on child abuse prevention.

The bill would put a ban on non-disclosure agreements between schools and school employees. This means if a teacher has past sexual misconduct allegations, their previous school must disclose that information to a new school upon request.

The bill would also implement required training for teachers that is focused on preventing sexual misconduct and grooming.

Senate Bill 59

Senate Bill 59 says "local, state, and federal tax dollars and resources shall not be used to advocate for or against any public question that appears on the ballot."

For JCPS, that means taxpayer-funded resources, including district websites, email accounts, social media pages and employees acting in their official roles, can't be used to support or oppose ballot measures.

The law follows last year's debate over Amendment 2, which would have allowed lawmakers to fund education outside Kentucky's public school system. Voters rejected the measure in November.

Senate Bill 2

Senate Bill 2 says an administrator "shall not receive a percentage pay increase greater than the percentage pay increase provided to classroom teachers in the district."

In other words, administrators generally can't get a bigger raise than teachers.

The law also applies to future superintendent contracts. There are a few exceptions, including when an administrator takes on significantly different job responsibilities or the district raises pay for an entire job category.

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