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Dear Colleagues,
I’m still learning new things about this position every day, and it has been bittersweet for me this last week. While I am blessed to have the opportunity for this new role, it has also been an adjustment. For the first time in years, I was not inside the schools and classrooms for the first day of school.
This has always been my favorite time of the year, welcoming students, educators and staff back into the buildings filled with joy and the passion to learn. I hope you are all off to a great start and I look forward to this school year!
I want to express my gratitude to all of you and our teachers who dedicate their days to helping our children achieve. Having said that, the Kentucky Teacher of the Year ceremony is just around the corner, and I look forward to being a part of that and celebrating these educators.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has recently announced the nine 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Teacher Achievement Award winners. I had the honor of calling each of these finalists to congratulate them on their achievement and thank them for the impact they have made on their students, families and communities.
As superintendents, your educators and staff look up to you for guidance and support throughout their time within your district. I know many of you remember those days being in the classroom and both the good and bad days that can come with that role. The start of the year can be a whirlwind of emotions, but I want to encourage you to remember the impact you have on your educators and administration.
A huge congratulations to the following nine districts and their educators for being finalists this year:
Elementary School
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Angela Nicole Hardin, Peace Academy (Jefferson County)
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Scott Johnson, Red Cross Elementary (Barren County)
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Sarah Wallace, Robert B. Turner Elementary (Anderson County)
Middle School
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Jennifer Montgomery, Eminence Independent Middle School (Eminence Independent)
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Jessica LF Talley, Mt. Washington Middle School (Bullitt County)
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Alicia Christine Thomas, Lexington Traditional Magnet School (Fayette County)
High School
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Jamie Brown, Marion County High School
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Katy Cecil, LaRue County High School
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Hayley Dant, Randall K. Cooper High School (Boone County)
All nine teachers will be honored during a ceremony in Frankfort on Sept. 10. Among these finalists, one will be named the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, who will then represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
Thank you to those who attended the Superintendents Webcast last week. A lot of valuable information was shared from KDE staff and Kentucky Board of Education Chair Sharon Porter Robinson. One of those items presented was the impact chronic absenteeism is having across our state and in our schools.
To decrease that percentage, I encourage you to check out the tools in Infinite Campus provided by KDE to help track chronic absenteeism. For example, the Early Warning tool examines a composite of factors such as attendance, behavior, stability and academics in order to identify students at higher risk for dropping out.
Infinite Campus also includes Insights data visualization dashboards, including attendance data, along with reports on chronically absent and transient student populations.
Additional efforts can be found on the KDE Chronic Absenteeism webpage.
I encourage you to use these resources in your districts. Please let us know at the department if there are any more tools or resources that can aid you in raising districtwide attendance. When we work together, we can make a significant impact on attendance rates and, ultimately, on the educational outcomes of Kentucky's children.
Thanks again for being …
All In,
Robbie Fletcher
Commissioner of Education
School-Based Mental Health Professional Use of Time Survey Due Nov. 1
Per KRS 158.4416(3)(f), superintendents must report to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), no later than Nov. 1 of each year, the number of school-based mental health service providers, the position held, placement in the district, certification or licensure held, the source of funding for each position, a summary of the job duties and work undertaken by each school-based mental health service provider, and the approximate percent of time devoted to each duty over the course of the year.
This School-Based Mental Health Services Provider Professional Use of Time Survey has been created by KDE so that each school district's superintendent can fulfill this requirement.
At the link provided, there is a "Read Me First" tab which gives instructions on how to best complete this process. An instructional video has also been created to assist school districts in completing the Use of Time Survey. Please submit your spreadsheet to the Use of Time Survey Sharepoint site.
For technical questions or assistance, please contact Leslie McKinney. If you require clarification or have any questions regarding the survey, please contact Michelle Sircy.
Update on Title IX 2024 regulations
On April 22, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) notified school districts of the U.S. Department of Education (USED) Final Rule under Title IX, scheduled to become effective on Aug. 1.
Since that time, numerous states attorneys general challenged the Title IX Final Rule in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. On June 17, the U.S. District Court entered an order enjoining the Title IX Final Rule in multiple states, including Kentucky. This means that while the parties argue the merits of the case, USED may not enforce the 2024 Title IX regulations in Kentucky.
USED appealed this decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. On July 17, 6th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to overturn the June 17 injunction entered by the U.S. District Court. On July 22, ED appealed the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the matter.
Currently, the Title IX Final Rule (also referred to as the “Title IX 2024 regulations”) remains enjoined from enforcement in 26 states, including Kentucky. This means that until a court rules otherwise, USED may not enforce the 2024 Title IX regulations in Kentucky. However, school districts continue to have obligations under Title IX to protect students and employees from sex-based discrimination, including sexual harassment. Kentucky school districts should continue to implement Title IX regulations and policies in place prior to Aug. 1.
School districts may find additional information at the USED Title IX website. KDE will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to school districts.
Statutory Requirements for Rights of Students, Display the National Motto
Pursuant to KRS 158.186, before Sept. 15 of each year, the commissioner of education must distribute copies of KRS 158.183, which details the “rights of students,” and KRS 158.195, which requires each public elementary and secondary school to “display the national motto” of the United States. This distribution must be made to school‐based decision making councils, among other groups. Please share this information with school‐based decision making council members in your school district.
158.183 Prohibited acts by students - Rights of student - Duties of local board of education -Administrative remedies.
(1) Consistent with the Constitutions of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a student shall have the right to carry out an activity described in any of paragraphs (a) to (j) of subsection (2) of this section, if the student does not:
(a) Infringe on the rights of the school to:
- Maintain order and discipline;
- Prevent disruption of the educational process; and
- Determine educational curriculum and assignments;
(b) Harass other persons or coerce other persons to participate in the activity; or
(c) Otherwise infringe on the rights of other persons.
(2) Consistent with the Constitutions of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and subject to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, a student shall be permitted to voluntarily:
(a) Pray or engage in religious activities in a public school, vocally or silently, alone or with other students to the same extent and under the same circumstances as a student is permitted to vocally or silently reflect, meditate, speak on, or engage in nonreligious matters alone or with other students in the public school;
(b) Express religious or political viewpoints in a public school to the same extent and under the same circumstances as a student is permitted to express viewpoints on nonreligious or nonpolitical topics or subjects in the school;
(c) Express religious or political viewpoints in classroom, homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination or penalty based on the religious or political content of the submissions;
(d) Speak to and attempt to discuss religious or political viewpoints with other students in a public school to the same extent and under the same circumstances as a student is permitted to speak to and attempt to share nonreligious or nonpolitical viewpoints with other students. However, any student may demand that this speech or these attempts to share religious or political viewpoints not be directed at him or her;
(e) Distribute religious or political literature in a public school, subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions to the same extent and under the same circumstances as a student is permitted to distribute literature on nonreligious or nonpolitical topics or subjects in the school;
(f) Display religious messages on items of clothing to the same extent that a student is permitted to display nonreligious messages on items of clothing;
(g) Access public secondary school facilities during noninstructional time as a member of a religious student organization for activities that may include prayer, Bible reading, or other worship exercises to the same extent that members of nonreligious student organizations are permitted access during non-instructional time;
(h) Use school media, including the public address system, the school newspaper, and school bulletin boards, to announce student religious meetings to the same extent that a student is permitted to use school media to announce student nonreligious meetings;
(i) Meet as a member of a religious student group during noninstructional time in the school day to the same extent that members of nonreligious student groups are permitted to meet, including before and after the school day; and
(j) Be absent, in accordance with attendance policy, from a public school to observe religious holidays and participate in other religious practices to the same extent and under the same circumstances as a student is permitted to be absent from a public school for nonreligious purposes.
(3) Consistent with its obligations to respect the rights secured by the Constitutions of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a local board of education shall ensure that:
(a) 1. The selection of students to speak at official events is made without regard to the religious or political viewpoint of the student speaker;
- The prepared remarks of the student are not altered before delivery, except in a viewpoint‐neutral manner, unless requested by the student. However, student speakers shall not engage in speech that is obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd, or indecent; and
- If the content of the student's speech is such that a reasonable observer may perceive affirmative school sponsorship or endorsement of the student speaker's religious or political viewpoint, the school shall communicate, in writing, orally, or both, that the student's speech does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position, or expression of the school;
(b) Religious and political organizations are allowed equal access to public forums on the same basis as nonreligious and nonpolitical organizations; and
(c) No recognized religious or political student organization is hindered or discriminated against in the ordering of its internal affairs, selection of leaders and members, defining of doctrines and principles, and resolving of organizational disputes in the furtherance of its mission, or in its determination that only persons committed to its mission should conduct these activities.
(4) Consistent with its obligations to respect the rights secured by the Constitutions of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a local board of education shall permit public schools in the district to sponsor artistic or theatrical programs that advance students' knowledge of society's cultural and religious heritage, as well as provide opportunities for students to study and perform a wide range of music, literature, poetry, and drama.
(5) No action may be maintained under KRS 158.181 to 158.187 unless the student has exhausted the following administrative remedies;
(a) The student or the student's parent or guardian shall state his or her complaint to the school's principal. The principal shall investigate and take appropriate action to ensure the rights of the student are resolved within seven (7) days of the date of the complaint;
(b) If the concerns are not resolved, then the student or the student's parent or guardian shall make a complaint in writing to the superintendent with the specific facts of the alleged violation;
(c) The superintendent shall investigate and take appropriate action to ensure that the rights of the student are resolved within thirty (30) days of the date of the written complaint; and
(d) Only after the superintendent's investigation and action may a student or the student's parent or legal guardian pursue any other legal action.
Effective: June 29, 2017
History: Amended 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 15, sec. 1, effective June 29, 2017. – Created 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 294, sec. 3, effective July 15, 1998.
158.195 Display of national motto in public elementary and secondary schools - Reading and posting in public schools of texts and documents on American history and heritage.
(1) (a) Beginning in the 2019‐2020 school year, local boards shall require each public elementary and secondary school to display the national motto of the United States, "In God We Trust," in a prominent location in the school.
(b) The display required in paragraph (a) of this subsection may take the form of but is not limited to a mounted plaque or student artwork.
(c) For purposes of this section, "prominent location" means a school entryway, cafeteria, or common area where students are likely to see the national motto.
(2) Local boards may allow any teacher or administrator in a public school district of the Commonwealth to read or post in a public school building, classroom, or event any excerpts or portions of: the national motto; the national anthem; the pledge of allegiance; the preamble to the Kentucky Constitution; the Declaration of Independence; the Mayflower Compact; the writings, speeches, documents, and proclamations of the founding fathers and presidents of the United States; United States Supreme Court decisions; and acts of the United States Congress including the published text of the Congressional Record. There shall be no content-based censorship of American history or heritage in the Commonwealth based on religious references in these writings, documents, and records.
Effective: June 27, 2019
History: Amended 2019 Ky. Acts ch. 82, sec. 1, effective June 27, 2019. ‐ Created 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 170, sec. 4, effective July 14, 1992.
Attorney General Advisory on Amendment 2
On Aug. 13, the Office of Attorney General (OAG) issued an Advisory to all public school districts in Kentucky regarding Amendment 2.
In the advisory, the OAG states that “Public resources may not be used to advocate for or against Amendment 2.” Citing to OAG 74-118, the advisory states the OAG’s position that “even the ‘nominal’ ‘expenditure of resources and time’ to promote a constitutional amendment improperly used taxpayers’ dollars and wrongfully interjected political activity into the operation of public schools.”
The advisory clarifies that while “the First Amendment clearly protects the rights of public school officials, administrators and educators to express their views on any public matter, they may not use school resources or school time to advance those personal views.”
The Kentucky School Boards’ Association (KSBA) published guidance that may be useful to districts as they navigate this issue. Districts should consult their local board counsel for specific legal advice on this topic.
KDE Adds New School Health Branch and Staff
The Division of District Support in the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Finance and Operations has recently expanded to include a new School Health Branch. This branch is charged with assisting schools and districts in meeting students’ health and well-being and maximizing learning opportunities.
Utilizing the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework integrates child cognitive, physical, social and emotional development while connecting other valuable partners and resources for future success.
Most recently, regional field staff have been added to the School Health Branch to better meet the immediate needs of school and districts surrounding the delivery of health services.
These staff work closely with others at KDE to provide quality professional development, technical assistance and tools/resources in the delivery and documentation of students’ health needs.
To learn more about these supports, reach out to your regional contact, by visiting the KDE School Health Field Staffing map.
2024-2025 Comprehensive Improvement Planning for Districts and Schools
Improvement planning for the 2024-2025 academic year is underway. A collaborative process involving multiple stakeholders is essential to identifying priority needs and the resources and actions to best address them.
The process and timeline for comprehensive school and district improvement planning outlined in 703 KAR 5:225 remain unchanged as outlined on the Comprehensive Improvement Planning webpage. While comprehensive improvement planning is a continuous process and plans may be reviewed and revised at any time, the timeline identifies the diagnostics included in each phase of the planning process and their statutory due dates.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) continues to utilize the Cognia Continuous Improvement Platform (CIP), and the 2024-2025 diagnostics are now available. Schools and districts must annually review, revise and develop an improvement plan and therefore must complete new diagnostics.
When creating and completing your diagnostics within the CIP, please ensure that the user works within the correct dashboard (district or school) and creates the correct level of diagnostic (system or school). While there are no new diagnostics this year, minor revisions have been made. Please be sure to choose the current year’s version.
2024-2025 will also be a transition year for trauma-informed plans. Pursuant to KRS 158.4416, each local board of education must develop a plan for implementing a trauma-informed approach in its schools.
Senate Bill 2 requires that the trauma-informed plans be reviewed and updated annually, incorporated into the annual Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP) and submitted to KDE. This process should be included as part of your improvement planning.
Districts are strongly encouraged to use the template developed by KDE to ensure their trauma-informed plans address all the required components identified in KRS 158.4416. More information on requirements as well as the Trauma-Informed Toolkit can be found on KDE's Trauma-Informed Practices website.
A survey, due Nov. 1, will serve as a temporary collection for 2024-2025 school year and the plan will be incorporated into the CDIP process in the Cognia platform for the 2025-2026 school year. For more information, please contact Christina Weeter, division director in the KDE Office of Continuous Improvement.
We hope you will join us for the Continuous Improvement Summit on Sept. 23-24 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington to learn more about improvement planning and continuous improvement.
For additional information about the CIP, contact Veronica Boller. For more information regarding improvement planning, visit the Comprehensive Improvement Planning webpage.
KYTC holding 2nd annual Paint the Plow Program for students
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is holding its second annual statewide Paint the Plow program to promote safe driving during snow and ice season, and they are inviting you to participate.
Paint the Plow is an opportunity for high school art students to paint one of the state's snowplow blades. The number of available blades varies by district. Therefore, the program is only operated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Anyone who receives an email to confirm participation, will need a design for the blade for KYTC. Before the blade can be dropped off at the student's school, the design must be approved by KYTC staff.
Faculty may assist in creating the design, but only students should participate in painting the design without alteration.
Consider the following for design to the blade:
- The blade is approximately 12’ wide and 4’ high
- The top foot of the blade is blocked from view due to a rubber strip
- Use enamel paints with bright backgrounds
- A final clear coat will help extend the life of the painting
- No materials other than paint can be applied to the plow blade
- Schools are responsible for purchasing paint and supplies
Follow these guidelines when creating your design:
- The approved design must be applied with no modifications
- Designs and messages should focus on road safety and winter weather
- The design can include the school logo and school colors
- Please include your school’s name if using the mascot/logo
- Consider the following slogans for a snow and ice theme
- No Device in Snow and Ice
- Slow in Snow
- Slick Drivers Slow Down in Snow and Ice
- The designs must be PG in nature
- They will not include political, partisan, violent or lewd images
- No copyright, pop-culture references, movies, songs, celebrities, etc.
Anyone interested in participating should fill out a Paint the Plow application.
Those selected to participate will receive confirmation of their participation status from a KYTC representative and will have until Sept. 27 to submit via email to have a design approved. Once the design is approved, KYTC will coordinate a drop-off and pick-up time with the student's point of contact.
The deadline to schedule a blade drop-off is Oct. 4. The blade will be picked up no later than Nov. 8.
KDE’s Communication Skills for School Leaders Series
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Communication Skills for School Leaders Series, facilitated by Mike Rutherford, consists of three one-day conference experiences offered in Lexington at the Central Bank Center and in Bowling Green at the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. local time.
The Lexington sessions are scheduled for Oct. 8, Nov. 19 and Dec. 10. The Bowling Green sessions are scheduled for Oct. 9, Nov. 20 and Dec. 11.
Each conference experience is designed for optimal engagement, relevance and applicability. The conference series comes at no cost to participants.
Communication skills are learnable. Everyone can become a better communicator. This three-part series will engage school leaders in a rigorous and lively examination of the skills necessary to be a clearer and more compelling communicator.
Topics will include public speaking; presentation skills; interpersonal skills; difficult conversations; communicating with individuals, small groups and mixed groups; communicating with varied constituent groups; communicating with print, social and on-camera media; how to interview and be interviewed; how to advocate for a cause; how to be a keen listener; how to be more influential and persuasive; how to facilitate learning for adult professionals; and even how to talk to yourself in a more positive and productive way.
The three sessions will be interactive, engaging and filled with opportunities to practice skills with immediate feedback in a safe, supportive environment.
Registration for the Communication Skills for School Leaders Series is required by Sept. 30. Questions regarding the training should be directed to Haley Ralston.
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