Senate Bill 181 Information and Requirements
Senate Bill 181 (SB181)
We want to make everyone aware of a new law, Senate Bill 181 (SB 181), which places new restrictions on communication between Hancock County students and all Hancock County school district employees and volunteers.
Effective June 27, 2025, SB 181 mandates that there can be no two-way electronic communication between students and school district employees or volunteers except through:
- Apptegy, which is a Kentucky Department of Education-approved two-way electronic communication platform chosen by our board of education.
- Google Workspaces: Our district’s digital productivity suite, including Gmail, Classroom, Docs, Slides, and Sheets
- Blackboard - (OCTC/Early College Students Only)
- Starfish - (OCTC/Early College Students Only)
- Microsoft Exchange (OCTC/Early College Students Only)
After receiving guidance from the Kentucky Department of Education and consulting with our board attorney about this new law, we will be enacting new policies and procedures to ensure full compliance.
Some of these policies/procedure changes include the following:
- No school district employee or volunteer may friend or follow any student on social media platforms.
- Parents, legal guardians, and other persons or agencies responsible for a student as well as brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, or grandparents are exempt from this policy and law. (Step-parents are exempt if they are married to one of the student’s legal guardians)
- All phone communication must be with the student’s parent/guardian. *If students call the school, employees are allowed to talk to them on school phones only (Not personal cellphones).
- No text messages or phone calls with students, unless it is an emergency. All emergency phone calls or text messages must be documented with your building supervisor with time, date, and description of emergency.
We understand this is a significant change, and we are committed to supporting everyone through the transition. Apptegy will be providing further guidance and instructions to you in the near future on how to download and use this platform. Please be patient and wait on these instructions to ensure proper setup and implementation.
We have attached an SB 181 informational sheet to this email. Please read it, and if you have questions or unique situations that you believe may need clarification, please reach out to your building administrator or central office personnel.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued commitment to the students of Hancock County.