A new law intended to prevent child sexual abuse will go into effect later this month, changing the way Kentucky public school employees and volunteers can communicate with students.
Senate Bill 181 aims to eliminate untraceable communication between students and school staff by prohibiting district employees and volunteers from texting students or using third-party apps to communicate with them. Additionally, teachers, coaches and volunteers will not be allowed to send messages to students’ personal emails or contact them on social media.
The law follows a Courier Journal investigation into child sexual abuse by middle- and high-school coaches in the commonwealth, which found abuse can be exacerbated by inappropriate communications between coaches and students.
Read more at the Courier Journal.
