Sponsor of Kentucky's new school communication bill says changes could come next year

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new state law limits how public school teachers and coaches can communicate with students, and Louisville schools are working around the changes ahead of the first day next month.

Senate Bill 181 sets guidelines for electronic communication between people who work for school districts and students. It requires all school staff, coaches and volunteers to use traceable communication when they need to talk to a student, and parents must be copied on all communications.

The Kentucky Department of Education issued new guidance for the bill's requirements this week. The bill has exceptions, such as for teachers' own children and some family members who are students. Parents can also seek written exemptions to let specific teachers communicate outside the designated system (e.g., text their kid directly).

State Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, who sponsored the legislation, meant to set boundaries between coaches, teachers and students amid concerns about grooming and other inappropriate behavior.

"We are really laying down some guardrails that just have what naturally existed before social media, direct messaging and texting," she said. "With this new access to children through electronic means and private formats, we don't have those safeguards."

The bill passed both chambers 137-0 and was signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear, but a number of teachers have raised concerns about unintended consequences, such as teachers who might work with students outside of school and be part of a group text chat without knowing all the members.

And there have already been effects of the bill before school begins. Amid the chaos at the Kentucky Exposition Center on Sunday, a teacher admitted to violating the law, texting students who were playing in the Run 4 Roses basketball tournament there as there was what police now call an erroneous report of an "active aggressor."

JCPS began putting new protocols in place in June advance of the bill's implementation. As of June 16, all electronic communication to JCPS students by school employees, coaches and volunteers must be done through parents and guardians. Direct communication between staff — including paid and volunteer coaches — and students will no longer be permitted.

"Right now it's a little bit more difficult, because we are using our email, and our kids checking their emails," April Brooks, JCPS' executive director of athletics, said Wednesday.

Text messages and certain group messaging apps can no longer be used. While staff and volunteers can continue to post announcements on social media, they are not allowed to reply to comments from students on apps like Facebook Messenger or Instagram messaging.

This guidance goes through Aug. 1, at which point the district aims to use an app for that communication. In the interim, permitted forms of communication include: email to students using their official JCPS email accounts; paper flyers handed directly to students; public or group posts on social media platforms.

After Aug. 1, Brooks said the district will use an app called Thrillshare to communicate with students, though parents who want to use a different platform will have option to opt out.

Tichenor told WDRB News this month that she has gotten a "tremendous amount of emails and questions" about the legislation and plans to file legislation in the 2026 General Assembly to address some of the concerns. Those changes including the definition of a volunteer, to ensure, for example, that a mother leading a field trip can communicate with students in her care for that day.

"Until then, for parents and educators, volunteers — just use the exemption and communicate through the means that the school districts have approved," she said.

JCPS to implement Kentucky law requiring traceable communication when contacting students