From the desk of Patricia Greer, Director of Kentucky Center for School Safety Resource Center
Legislative Updates
Passed with Line-item Veto by Governor
A last-minute addition to HB 622 changed how school resource officers are funded. The current state budget includes $34.5 million for school resource officers (SROs) at $16,500,000 in fiscal year 2024-25 and $18,000,000 in fiscal year 2025-26. HB 622 allows districts to receive up to $20,000 per full-time certified SRO (with some restrictions). The bill also allows private schools to receive reimbursement for SROs with the $5 million in funding from the state’s Budget Reserve Trust Fund or the General Fund surplus.
Signed by the Governor
HB 208, filed by Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mt. Vernon requires school boards to adopt a policy restricting student cellphone use during the school day. Exceptions include use for emergencies, instructional purposes, and if authorized by a teacher. It also requires districts to restrict access to social media. Rights under IDEA are protected.
HB 430, filed by Rep. Mike Clines, R-Alexandria, allows districts to obtain an exemption from any school bus safety instruction requirement if they transport 48 or fewer pupils. The bill also now includes HB 661, filed by Rep. Emily Callaway, R-Louisville, which allows administrative regulations to specify that districts can operate passenger vehicles to transport students that are owned, leased, or contracted by districts.
SB 73, filed by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, makes sexual extortion a felony and requires schools to post age-appropriate information about sexual extortion in schools.
SB 120, sponsored by Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, requires that coaches and interscholastic athletics administrators receive training on their mandatory reporting duties for child dependency, neglect, and abuse. It also classifies boys’ lacrosse as a contact sport & requires schools to post info on child labor laws.
SB 181, filed by Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, directs each school board to designate one or more programs or applications as a “traceable communication system” for the exclusive means for teachers, coaches, and volunteers to communicate electronically with students. The bill excludes communications between a parent who is a school employee or volunteer and his or her children.
SCR 43, Expressing support for the crisis support recovery network (west, stephen) a concurrent resolution expresses Kentucky’s support for the Crisis Recovery Support Network coordinated by the Southern Regional Education Board, expresses support for Kentucky’s participation in the network, and recognizes the network as a trusted support for Kentucky schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions to know they may call upon if the need arises.
Became Law Without Governor’s Signature
Vetoes Overridden
SB 19, filed by Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset, requires schools to start the day with a moment of silence. Under current law, schools may hold the moment of silence. A substitute to the bill, added HB 607, filed by Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, which allows school boards to permit students to leave the school for one hour per week to receive “moral instruction.” Students who do not leave for moral instruction must have noncredit enrichment or participate in educational activities not required in the regular curriculum.
Gov. veto message: The bill would be violated when kindergarteners cannot stay silent in their seats, and does not allow students whose religious practices include standing prayer to do so. A second part of the bill would cause students to miss out on important instructional time. Read the veto message.
SB 207, filed by Sen. Steve West, R-Paris, is designed to spark innovation in schools by allowing local boards to ask the Kentucky Board of Education for waivers from many administrative regulations for three years. Districts would still have to follow regulations required by federal law that impact health and safety, compulsory attendance, open records, and several other rules. It also now includes HB 8, which creates a repository for high-quality instructional materials that districts must choose from. Gov. veto message: Senate Bill 207 would diminish the quality of public education throughout the commonwealth by creating unequal educational standards between local school districts. Read the full veto message
Almost Made It to the Finish Line (needed one concurrence vote)
SB 38, sponsored by Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester, would allow schools to add stop-arm cameras on their school buses. Courts could then levy fines to motorists who run the stop-arms to pay for the district’s cameras. Needs Senate Concurrence – Senate PO on 3/27
Moved, but Did Not Reach the Finish Line
HB 36 addresses teacher misconduct, including barring districts from entering into non-disclosure agreements involving misconduct with students. It was attached to HB 298 but was pulled at the last minute because the Senate would not agree. This is the third year in a row that the bill has failed.
HB 14, filed by Rep. Kevin Jackson, R-Bowling Green, a former Warren Co. school board member, would allow school districts to implement a wearable panic alert system and require the Department of Education to provide a list of approved wearable panic alert systems. If passed, the Kentucky Center for School Safety would oversee grants for the systems if funded in the next budget.
HB 44, sponsored by Rep. Candi Massaroni, R-Bardstown, would allow schools to have an anti-choking device and protects school personnel who use the device from civil liability. If a school has the device, staff would be trained to use it.
HB 433, filed by Rep. Deanna Gordon, R-Richmond, would require the Kentucky Center for School Safety to review building plans for school facility new construction or renovation.
HB 621, filed by Rep. Robert Duvall, R-Bowling Green, would allow courts to fine parents of students convicted of terroristic threatening (such as bomb threats) for the costs incurred by law enforcement. The second section of the bill, which involved homeschooling, was removed from the bill.
Emergency Management
Reminder: Emergency Plans and SBDM Law
KRS 158.162
The emergency plan shall be reviewed by the school nurse, school council, principal, and first responders following the end of each school year and revised as needed.
End-of-Year Event Safety Considerations:
The plan should include security precautions:
Before the event, provide the necessary information for visiting the school
Parking, entrance procedures, and seating arrangements
During the event, Personnel should be stationed in key areas
After the event, develop a procedure for the exit of visitors and students
KCSS Materials Request Form
Free materials are shipped to you by the KCSS Resource Center.
KY Homeland Updates
Tipline: S.T.O.P.! Tipline: Please email Jennifer Taylor at Jennifer.Taylor@ky.gov to update your district’s tipline users. Kentucky Homeland Security receives the tips and then contacts Principals, Safe School Coordinators, and Superintendents about tips. They need accurate contact information for each school.
Tipline Poster PDF; KCSS Emergency Number Poster
School District Training: Kentucky Homeland Security can help provide school districts with a trainer on various online threats to students and staff. Contact Jennifer.Taylor@ky.gov to request a presentation at your district.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: As the national clearinghouse on missing and exploited children issues, NCMEC is uniquely situated to identify trends and create educational resources to address the changing needs of children, families, and communities. NCMEC provides safety and prevention resources for families and child-serving professionals, focusing on the topics of online and real-world safety, including skills on how to handle a variety of situations, ranging from staying home alone to knowing what to do in case of an emergency, to abduction and child sexual exploitation prevention.
Take it Down is a free service that can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old. You can remain anonymous while using the service and won’t have to send your images or videos to anyone. Take It Down will work on public or unencrypted online platforms that have agreed to participate.
Homeland Security Investigations is committed to combating the sexual exploitation of children. Investigations of child sexual exploitation are among HSI’s primary investigative priorities. The sexual abuse of children impacts the most vulnerable segment of our society.
Project iGuardian aims to counter a disturbing fact: many online child predators can find victims online because children are not always aware of how dangerous online environments can be. Project iGuardian is focused on keeping children and teens safe from online predators through education and awareness. The project is an outreach effort to share information about the dangers of online environments, how to stay safe online, and how to report abuse and suspicious activity. In addition, the iGuardians ™ team is here to help kids stay safe online by providing safety tips, a number to call, and a website with links to more information and resources. Project iGuardian helps kids, teens and parents be smarter about online safety and stay safe from online sexual predators.
Conference
Registration for the Safe Schools and Community Conference is now open.
June 10-11, 2025
Great Crossings High School, Georgetown, KY
Hosted by the Kentucky Center for School Safety
This two-day event is FREE OF CHARGE and is open to principals, law enforcement officers, school administrators, safe school coordinators, DPPs, and school personnel. Attendance at this conference includes membership in the Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers (KYASRO) and the Kentucky DARE Association for law enforcement participants. EILA credit is pending for educators.
Training
SSC training June 16, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm via Zoom
New SSC training July 17, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm via Zoom
For Threat Assessment & Miscellaneous pieces of training from KCSS, contact Dan Orman at dan.orman@ksba.org
Grants
- School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)
- The 2025 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program is a competitive program that provides funding directly to States, units of local government, Indian tribes, and their public agencies to be used for improving security at schools and on school grounds within the jurisdiction of the grantee. Up to $73 million is available for this program.
- Applications are due by June 26, 2025, at 4:59 PM ET. Please click here for more information on the 2025 School Violence Prevention Program.
- Grants.gov provides a source to FIND and APPLY for federal government grants. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proud to be the managing partner for Grants.gov, an initiative that is having an unparalleled impact on the grant community. Register now and receive notifications of new grant openings delivered right to your email inbox. A step-by-step tutorial on completing a grant application package is available.
Vaping Waste Disposal for School Districts from the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection
Vaping Devices and E-Cigarettes
Vaping devices and E-cigarettes (vaping devices) contain rechargeable lithium ion batteries with cartridges and bottles that contain various liquid nicotine mixtures. These devices can pose a threat to human health and the environment if they are not handled and disposed of properly, and fall under certain federal disposal requirements concerning hazardous and universal wastes. Vaping devices, their batteries, their liquid waste, and their containers should not be thrown in the regular trash or flushed down a sink. Instead, these items should be taken safely to a hazardous waste facility for proper disposal.
The collection and accumulation of vaping devices typically produce two (2) waste streams: The e-liquid, and their e-liquid containers and cartridges (unused, partially spent, and fully spent) containing various nicotine mixtures, and vaping devices that use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and other e-waste.
Nicotine E-Liquid and Containers – Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste Disposal
Under the federal law, vaping devices are subject to RCRA hazardous waste laws for classification, characterization, and disposal when mass collection or confiscation of them, followed by handling and disposal, takes place.
Nicotine and nicotine salts are a P-listed hazardous waste under RCRA. A P-listed waste is classified as an “Acute Hazardous Waste.” An acute hazardous waste is a hazardous waste that is fatal to humans at low doses and has a known acute toxicity dose, or is “otherwise capable of causing or significantly contributing to an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness.” Under an acute hazardous waste classification, a generator may only accumulate 1 kilogram (Kg, 2.2 pounds) of P-listed waste before being treated as a “Large Quantity Generator.” Under RCRA, in the accumulation of a P-listed waste, the entire weight of the container is counted as part of the accumulating hazardous waste weight limits. Accumulation of P-listed hazardous wastes of less than 1 Kg, or even when vaping devices are “empty” or only containing residual amounts nicotine, triggers one as a Very Small Quantity Generator of hazardous waste who have requirements under RCRA. Public schools and other public entities or mass events that accumulate P-listed hazardous waste will need to dispose of collected, confiscated, or accumulated vaping devices as hazardous waste as “generators” of hazardous waste under RCRA, and have responsibilities to ensure that the vaping devices are handled and disposed of in a way that is protective of human health and the environment.
While individual users of vaping devices and residences are exempt from RCRA disposal requirements as consumers or residences, public and mass event entities, such as public schools, under Federal law do not qualify for the consumer/residential exemption. The following are best management practices and information for the handling of vaping devices:
- Check with your state and local environmental laws for the disposal of e-liquid wastes.
- Turn off the device and remove the rechargeable battery. If the device is not yours have the user do it.
- Store all items in a cool temperature environment and in a container that is sealed and marked “Hazardous Waste.”
- Never throw vaping devices or their batteries in the trash or store in desk drawers, office cabinet, or similar places. Keep them in a separate container for hazardous waste.
- Deliver the container of vaping device waste to a local hazardous waste facility at least every ninety (90) days.
- Do not rinse the vaping device’s containers to remove the nicotine-containing liquid/residue. That water would become hazardous waste and then need to be stored and disposed of properly as hazardous waste.
- Handle unused and discarded vaping devices carefully to avoid exposure to unused nicotine. Liquid nicotine can be absorbed through the skin and can cause accidental poisoning.
Lithium-ion Batteries – Universal Waste Rule
Lithium-ion batteries and other E-wastes in rechargeable vaping devices are considered “Universal Wastes” as batteries. Universal wastes are a type of RCRA hazardous waste. Vaping device lithium batteries do not have the same requirements as P-listed wastes under RCRA. Kentucky adopted the federal Universal Waste Rule on March 12, 1997. The rule encourages recycling, collection, and proper disposal of some common products that contain hazardous wastes. The rule reduces administrative requirements and saves companies compliance costs and on paperwork.
Universal wastes are such things as:
- Batteries,
- Pesticides (e.g. recalled or banned from use, obsolete, damaged, or are no longer needed for their intended use),
- Thermostats containing mercury, and
- Spent Lamps (e.g. incandescent, fluorescent, high pressure sodium, mercury vapor, metal halide, high intensity discharge (HID), and neon bulbs or tubes).
The Following are Basic Requirements for Producers and Handlers Managing Universal Wastes:
Handlers or producers of a universal waste must determine their handler quantity status:
- Large Quantity Handlers produce 11,000 lbs. or more (about five to six tons), or
- Small Quantity Handlers produce less than 11,000 lbs.
Large and Small Quantity Handlers or producers:
- Must not dispose of a universal waste,
- Must not dilute or treat a universal waste on site,
- Must prevent releases to the environment,
- Must label waste as a “universal waste,”
- May accumulate universal wastes on-site for up to one year, and
- May accumulate universal wastes for more than one (1) year if such activity is solely for the purpose of accumulation of such quantities of universal waste as necessary to facilitate proper recovery, treatment, or disposal
In the proper recovery or disposal of universal wastes, handlers and producers:
- May accept universal wastes from off-site and keep them for up to one year,
- Must train employees on proper handling and emergency procedures,
- Must respond to spills and manage the residue as hazardous waste,
- May self-transport to an authorized destination facility, and
- Must comply with export requirements for foreign shipments.