Superintendent Smith Provides Status Report for District Policy Regarding SB 181

Senate Bill 181 (SB 181), passed during the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly, requires school boards to adopt a traceable communication system that "shall be the exclusive means for school district employees and volunteers to communicate electronically with students."

The spirit of the bill is something everyone can agree on: protecting students, encouraging more parental involvement and safeguarding school communications. After receiving bipartisan support and unanimous approval in the legislature, as well as the signature of the governor, districts are now tasked with overseeing broad new restrictions on employee and volunteer communications with students.

All (non-emergency) legislation passed during the 2025 Regular legislative session, including SB 181, will go into effect on June 27. Local school boards must adopt/approve their local policies each year by the statutory deadline of Aug. 15. (KRS 160.340).

Additionally, the law requires that districts must communicate with parents/guardians about the traceable communication systems - including instructions for accessing those communications tools - within the first 10 days of school. SB 181 states:

"The principal of each public school shall provide parents written or electronic notification within the first ten (10) days of the school year of each electronic school notification and communication program designated within the traceable communication system. The notification shall include instructions for parents to access and review communications sent through each electronic school notification and communication program."

JCPS Superintendent took a step toward satisfying this legal requirement this week by sending out a letter to parents and students. Superintendent Smith wrote:

"Important Update for Students and Parents: How We'll Communicate at School!
Get ready for an important change in how our school staff will connect with students! Starting June 27, 2025, a new state law called Senate Bill 181 (SB 181) will be in effect. We want to make sure everyone understands what this means for you.

What is SB 181 All About?

Simply put, SB 181 says that ALL communication between school staff (like teachers, coaches, and club advisors) and students must now happen through special platforms approved by the school district. This new law was created with your safety in mind. It's designed to protect students from any inappropriate or unsafe online conversations and ensures transparency and accountability when staff members connect with students outside of school.

How Will This Affect You and Your Child?

From June 27, 2025 onwards, you'll notice that school staff will only use official district tools to send messages. This includes everything from homework assignments and important reminders to encouraging notes and school updates.

Here's the big change: Teachers and students will no longer be able to communicate using personal text messages, Facebook Messenger, X (Twitter), Instagram, or other similar apps. 

All school-related messages must go through approved channels. 

Our school district (JCPS) is working hard to set up a new, easy-to-use communication platform that meets all the requirements of SB 181. Until that new system is ready, the only approved ways for staff and students to communicate will be through: 

We will let all parents and students know as soon as our new district-wide communication platform is ready to go! 

We know this might feel like a big change, especially for students involved in after-school activities. We understand that new routines take a little getting used to! 

To help you out, we've attached a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to this message. Please take a look! 

If you have any questions after reading this, don't hesitate to reach out to Superintendent Renee Smith: renee.smith@jackson.kyschools.us or District Technology Coordinator Rhonda Thompson: rhonda.thompsoon@jackson.kyschools.us 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we implement this important new law to keep our students safe!"