republic-os/legislation/us/states/ky/2025rs/sb-181.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to children."
description: "Create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to define terms; direct each local board of education to designate one or more programs or applications as a traceable communication system that shall be the exclusive means for school district employees and volunteers to communicate electronically with students; provide that a parent may submit written consent for a designated school district employee or volunteer to communicate electronically with a student outside of the traceable communication system; exclude communications between a parent that is a school district employee or volunteer and his or her own children; establish a mandatory duty to report violations for school employees and volunteers; require principals, superintendents, and the commissioner of education to notify parents of allegations of unauthorized electronic communication involving their children; require principals, superintendents, and the commissioner of education to report alleged violations to the Educational Professional Standards Board (EPSB); require principals, superintendents, the commissioner of education, and EPSB to investigate designated allegations of unauthorized electronic communication; establish the methods of disciplinary action for a violation; amend KRS 161.120 to provide that the identity of complainants alleging unauthorized electronic communication, sexual contact, or other sexual misconduct that are dismissed and minors invovled in the complaint to remain confidential; provide that EPSB will have 120 days to conduct the initial review of complaints alleging unauthorized electronic communication, sexual contact, or other sexual misconduct."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2025RS"
identifier: "SB 181"
citation: "Kentucky SB 181 (2025RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Boards and Commissions", "Children and Minors", "Education", "Elementary and Secondary", "Fiscal Note", "State Agencies", "State Employees", "Teachers"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 31
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-02-14T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-01T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d022acf8-3e37-433f-a65a-cafafa7f5b69"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/25RS/sb181.html"
source_hash: "9fac0c03be3ee5bbdc1927f182f5cadf1781c3adab87f78b4c424a8458d63c1a"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ky"]
---

# Kentucky SB 181 (2025RS) — AN ACT relating to children.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to define terms; direct each local board of education to designate one or more programs or applications as a traceable communication system that shall be the exclusive means for school district employees and volunteers to communicate electronically with students; provide that a parent may submit written consent for a designated school district employee or volunteer to communicate electronically with a student outside of the traceable communication system; exclude communications between a parent that is a school district employee or volunteer and his or her own children; establish a mandatory duty to report violations for school employees and volunteers; require principals, superintendents, and the commissioner of education to notify parents of allegations of unauthorized electronic communication involving their children; require principals, superintendents, and the commissioner of education to report alleged violations to the Educational Professional Standards Board (EPSB); require principals, superintendents, the commissioner of education, and EPSB to investigate designated allegations of unauthorized electronic communication; establish the methods of disciplinary action for a violation; amend KRS 161.120 to provide that the identity of complainants alleging unauthorized electronic communication, sexual contact, or other sexual misconduct that are dismissed and minors invovled in the complaint to remain confidential; provide that EPSB will have 120 days to conduct the initial review of complaints alleging unauthorized electronic communication, sexual contact, or other sexual misconduct.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/sb181/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 149** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/25RS/documents/0149.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/sb181/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- PASS SB 181 W/ sfa1 — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Pass — **100–0** (pass) · upper
- Final Passage SB 181 W/ hcs1 hcta1 — **38–0** (pass) · upper

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-02-14T05:00:00+00:00** introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2025-02-14T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (S) `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-19T05:00:00+00:00** to Families & Children (S) `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (1) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-03-05T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2025-03-05T05:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 06, 2025
- **2025-03-06T05:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 37-0 with Floor Amendment (1) `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-06T05:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2025-03-06T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-13T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Committee on Committees (H)
- **2025-03-13T04:00:00+00:00** 1st reading `reading-1`
- **2025-03-13T04:00:00+00:00** returned to Committee on Committees (H)
- **2025-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Committee on Committees (H)
- **2025-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** returned to Committee on Committees (H)
- **2025-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Committee on Committees (H)
- **2025-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** to Families & Children (H) `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Rules
- **2025-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** placed in the Orders of the Day
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 100-0 with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** received in Senate
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** to Rules (S) `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** Senate concurred in House Committee Substitute (1) and committee amendment (1-title)
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** passed 38-0 `passage`
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by President of the Senate `passage`
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2025-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** delivered to Governor
- **2025-04-01T04:00:00+00:00** signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 149) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d022acf8-3e37-433f-a65a-cafafa7f5b69`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).