(FRANKFORT, Ky.)-Kentucky’s public schools hold immense potential to drive progress in every corner of our Commonwealth. From preparing the next generation of skilled workers to nurturing informed citizens, education remains at the heart of real solutions to the challenges we face. The Kentucky General Assembly has led efforts to raise standards with historic investments in our K-12 system, teaching methods that are proven to work, policies aimed at improving core skills. All of this is important, but moot if we do not keep our students safe. In 2019, the legislature passed the School Safety Resiliency Act, which has become a nationwide model and set high safety standards. As a result, officials from across the nation look to Kentucky for ways to improve school safety by making both school facilities and students stronger and more resilient. Despite this progress, our schools continue to face challenges related to student engagement, discipline, and ensuring a safe learning environment.
This year, we have closed the gap on several standards we set for ourselves. First, we have 928 school resource officers who serve across our 171 school districts. In 2015, the state had 190. Kentucky’s SROs receive some of the most extensive law enforcement training in the nation. In addition to the standard law enforcement training hours, they must complete 120 additional hours of specialized training. They are taught to work closely with our school’s counselors.
In 2019, legislators set a counselor-to-student ratio of 1:250. Since then, we have narrowed the gap, now reporting 1:301. This year, 72 districts meet the counselor-to-student ratio. The Kentucky School Counselor Association estimates that the state needs 628 more counselors to reach the statewide ratio. Research has shown that access to counselors increases graduation rates, lowers absences, and results in fewer discipline referrals when the counselor-to-student ratio is at least 1:250.
Creating a safe school environment is an ongoing task for administrators and educators, requiring ocus on classroom behavior. Student discipline is essential to school success, student outcomes, and school safety. Schools must control classrooms to protect the education of students who are not chronically misbehaving. The General Assembly is committed to passing legislation to address chronic misbehavior, including HB 538 in the 2023 Regular Session. This legislation provides a framework for districts and administrators to address disruptions, offering alternative placements such as resource rooms or virtual instruction.
The Office of Educational Accountability recently released a report on student discipline for the 2024 school year. They found that a majority of principals have no substantial safety concerns about their schools, but 1 in 10 schools have major behavior-related challenges, and a third have moderate behavior-related challenges. While we have passed legislation to promote alternative placements, one of the top challenges identified for addressing chronic misbehavior was the lack of alternative placements for those who cannot learn in a traditional classroom. Forty percent of elementary principals reported that alternative placements were a great or moderate need.
Overall, the top challenges reported during the 2024 school year were vapes, cell phones, and disengagement in high school and middle schools, while elementary schools faced extreme classroom behavior, tardiness, and disengagement. The legislature passed legislation that requires districts to adopt cellphone policies for classrooms earlier this year (HB 208), provided schools with the tools to address vaping in the 2024 Regular Session with HB 142, and created a framework for schools to address chronic absenteeism and truancy with HB 611 in 2024. As we limit classroom distractions and enforce attendance and classroom management policies, the main challenges in our schools will begin to shift. Despite the state’s efforts to support our schools, other factors affecting student discipline —primarily federal standards — remain.
Despite increased state support, schools continue to struggle with federal limitations; in fact, 61% of principals reported moderate or extreme challenges with federal law. This includes disciplinary removals for students with disabilities and federal thresholds for disciplinary actions. It was found that schools reduce disciplinary consequences to avoid these thresholds, resulting in disruptive or unsafe conditions that will negatively impact students’ education.
Kentucky has made significant progress in school safety and discipline, but challenges remain. Parents, educators, and lawmakers must continue to work together to ensure every student learns in an environment tailored to support student achievement. We must keep our standards high to keep our schools the national model for safety and transform our education into a competitor on the national stage.
As always, I can be reached anytime through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. You can also contact me via email at Chris.Freeland@kylegislature.gov and keep track through the Kentucky legislature’s website at legislature.ky.gov
