Education
An unrelated bill became a vehicle for allowing concealed weapons on Kentucky’s college campuses
FRANKFORT — Republican legislation that would ban colleges, universities and any other “postsecondary education facility” from restricting or banning concealed-carry firearms on campuses advanced out of a Tuesday morning House committee meeting.? House Bill 542, sponsored by Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, was previously an unrelated bill about “workforce development” before the title and content […]
Kentucky senator whose Twitter account ‘liked’ obscene tweets says he was hacked
Editor’s Note: This report relies in part on screenshots, emails and other documentation gathered in May 2021 by Kentucky Lantern reporter Liam Niemeyer when he was a reporter for WKMS Public Radio in Murray. FRANKFORT — The sponsor of a bill mandating a complaint process for removing “obscene” materials from Kentucky’s public schools had, as […]
KCTCS supports Stivers’ proposed review of Kentucky’s higher education system
FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s two-year college system supports Senate President Robert Stivers’ call for? a comprehensive review of higher education, says the system’s acting president. Among the ideas Stivers wants considered: Leave technical education with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, while moving traditional academic subjects from the two-year colleges to regional four-year public universities. […]
Cameron wants increased teacher pay, ‘far-left’ out of classroom
Kentucky Republican candidate for governor Daniel Cameron released his plans for Kentucky’s education system if elected in November. They include raising starting pay for teachers and keeping “far-left” policies at bay.? In a Wednesday press release, his campaign said his framework aims to “keep the far-left from indoctrinating our students” and that the attorney general […]
Black student loan borrowers at risk as U.S. Supreme Court weighs forgiveness plan
WASHINGTON — As the Biden administration prepares to defend its student debt cancellation program before the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 28, data shows that Black borrowers have the most to lose should a majority conservative court strike down the policy. Black borrowers hold a disproportionate share of student loan debt, and many likely were […]
Kentucky Senate defines school materials ‘harmful to minors’ in bill critics call book banning
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Senate approved legislation Thursday that its sponsor says protects children from inappropriate materials but which critics say will lead to book?banning. Senate Bill 5, sponsored by Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, would create a complaint process for local school districts to filter materials that parents and guardians consider inappropriate for children. It […]
Bill to remake how Kentucky Board of Education members are selected passes state Senate
FRANKFORT — Among their debates on the Kentucky Senate floor Thursday, senators questioned if the creation of a committee to nominate members to the Board of Education would bring more or less politics to the process. Senate Bill 107 seeks to create a nomination committee for the Kentucky Board of Education. The group would give […]
Stivers has a question: Can southeastern Kentucky support a public four-year university??
FRANKFORT — A resolution sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers would direct the Council on Postsecondary Education to explore changes to Kentucky’s public higher education.? Stivers, R-Manchester, introduced Senate Joint Resolution 98 Tuesday on the last day to file bills in the Senate. The measure calls on CPE to study how a public four-year university […]
House approves ending high school diploma requirement for school bus drivers, secretaries, other classified positions
FRANKFORT — A proposed law that would give school districts a wider pool of applicants for non-teaching jobs has made its way through the Kentucky House of Representatives.? The House on Feb. 17 passed House Bill 32, which would allow Kentucky school districts the option of hiring classified personnel without a high school diploma or […]
Kentucky Senate approves ‘parental rights’ bill despite pleas to protect vulnerable youth
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. FRANKFORT — Despite pleas by the few Democrats in the Kentucky Senate to protect “vulnerable, marginalized children,” the supermajority of Republicans passed a controversial bill around parental rights and gender identity […]
Lofton’s Law headed for Senate, would make hazing that causes death or serious injury a felony
FRANKFORT — A bill that would make hazing a separate crime in Kentucky and provide prison sentences for hazing that causes injury or death cleared committee Thursday and now awaits a vote by the Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard from the mother of Thomas “Lofton” Hazelwood, 18, who died in 2021 of alcohol poisoning […]
‘Moms for Liberty’ gets three books removed from Campbell County school libraries
Campbell County’s public schools have removed three books from their libraries at the urging of Moms for Liberty, a group that says it is “dedicated to the survival of America” by defending parental rights. But PEN America, a national organization founded in 1923 that defends and celebrates free expression, says the efforts by Moms for […]