These state laws will be impacting Kentucky classrooms this school year

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — For many young Kentuckians, summer break has come and gone. As a new school year starts, so do some new policies intended to improve the quality of the Commonwealth’s education.

Some bills passed into law in 2024 are only now taking effect in the 2025-26 school year. Cursive writing is now required to be part of the curriculum in elementary schools under Senate Bill 167. This year’s high school freshmen and beyond will need to finish with a slightly higher score on Kentucky’s civics test to graduate, or some districts may now opt to offer a half-credit civics course thanks to House Bill 535.

“In today’s world, where misinformation and political polarization are all too common, civic literacy is more important than ever,” Rep. Robert Duvall (R-Bowling Green) said on the House floor while carrying the bill in 2024.

The beginning of the school day will look a little different under Senate Bill 19; it now requires a moment of silence or reflection. It also allows students to be transported to off-campus district-approved weekly moral instruction if desired and offered by a district.

“I will tell you, when my kids get to leave and come back, it’s amazing the smiles that they have,” Rep. Timmy Truett (R-McKee) said while the bill was being debated this year, explaining how a similar program has worked so far in his district. Truett is also an elementary school principal.

Phones are coming under strict scrutiny for both students and teachers. House Bill 208 now requires a policy banning them during instructional time. Senate Bill 181 also sets a new communications policy for teachers, which requires messages to be sent through a traceable platform and bans texting students unless a parent submits written consent.

“Any communications can be accessed by parents so they know what’s being discussed in those conversations,” Sen. Lindsey Tichenor (R-Smithfield) told FOX 56 in an interview earlier this summer.

Also, kindergarten and first graders will now be screened at the end of the school year on their reading ability; House Bill 240 introduces the possibility of holding them back another year for improvement.