Traceable Communication Systems: Moving from SB 181 to HB 67
Staff-Student Communication Policy (Traceable Communications)
The Board designates the following platforms as the exclusive traceable communication systems for electronic communication between District staff/volunteers and students:
Apptegy Rooms
Apptegy Thrillshare
Google Workspace for Education applications (e.g., Gmail, Google Classroom, Google Meet)
Microsoft Office 365 applications (e.g., Outlook, Teams, OneDrive)
SportsYou (athletic teams only)
The Band App (band program only)
Class Dojo (Parental Communication only)
All communications between staff/volunteers and students must occur through these designated platforms to ensure traceability and parental access.
Additional Information:
Kentucky Attorney General Questions & Answers
New HB67 Traceable Communications FAQ
KRS 160.145- Senate Bill 181 (LINK)
KRS 160.145 (enacted via SB 181 and amended by HB 67) establishes statewide standards to ensure that private digital communication between school personnel/volunteers and students is traceable, transparent, and professional. The goal is to foster a safe, accountable, and supportive learning environment for everyone.
While SB 181 laid the groundwork in 2025, House Bill 67 went into effect immediately on April 13, 2026, introducing key exceptions for field trips, emergencies, work-based learning, and educational platforms.
Key Highlights & Compliance Requirements
* Traceable & Accessible Communication: All private electronic communication between school personnel/qualified volunteers and students must occur within a board-approved traceable communication system that records messages and allows parents the opportunity to review them. * Prohibited Personal Platforms: Staff and volunteers are prohibited from using personal texting, personal email, or private social media messaging to communicate one-on-one with students outside of designated district systems, unless a specific legal exception applies.
Exceptions to Private Communication: Private digital communication outside of the approved traceable platforms is permitted under the following conditions:
Family Members: The student is a defined family member or household resident.
Parental Consent: A written parental consent form explicitly naming the employee/volunteer is on file in the school’s administrative office.
Group Communications: The message includes a parent, or includes at least two school employees/volunteers and one or more students directly relating to an academic, athletic, or extracurricular purpose.
School Events & Learning: The communication is in direct relation to a school-sanctioned field trip (with parental trip consent), a work-based learning experience, or virtual school instruction/academic feedback.
Emergencies: The staff member reasonably believes an imminent risk to person or property exists (and promptly reports it to a supervisor after the fact).
Commercial Disclosures: A staff member has filed a written disclosure regarding an outside commercial or local government affiliation (such as hiring a student for an after-school job).
Communication Archives: Districts utilize approved platforms that support message logging and oversight. While the statute does not mandate a specific storage timeframe, the District transparently shares system-specific retention periods with families.
HB 67 introduces several new definitions, exemptions, and processes that need to be clearly outlined for staff and parents:
New Exceptions to Prohibited Communication: Clearly list the new specific scenarios where private electronic communication is legally permitted outside of a traceable system:
Field Trips: Communication during and in direct relation to a school-sanctioned field trip (including overnight trips) is allowed, provided the student has parental consent to attend the trip.
Work-Based Learning: Communication during and in direct relation to work-based learning experiences.
Educational Platforms / Virtual Schooling: Communication used for virtual instruction (including nontraditional instruction, online courses, and home-health instruction) or providing academic feedback through mechanisms inside educational platforms (e.g., Google Classroom, Amplify Desmos).
Health and Safety Emergencies: Direct messaging during an imminent risk to person or property. (Note: Staff must be informed here that they must promptly report these emergency communications to their supervisor after the fact ).
Commercial or Local Government Affiliations: Communication directly related to an outside business or government affiliation (e.g., if a student works for a staff member's private lawn care business, or is employed at their local store). (Note: Staff must submit a written disclosure notifying the district of this affiliation first ).
Expanded Definition of "Family Member" & "Parent": Update your definitions page. A "family member" now explicitly includes an adult residing in the same household, or relatives by consanguinity, affinity, or adoption (parent, sibling, child, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, niece, grandparent). "Parent" now explicitly includes step-parents, foster parents, foreign exchange host parents, legal guardians, or anyone else legally responsible for the student.
Parental Right to Custom Consent Forms: Clarify for parents that they are not restricted to a specific school-prescribed template. They are free to provide written consent in any form they choose, as long as it explicitly names the specific employee/volunteer, designates the terms/limits, and is filed with the administrative office.
System Retention Periods (Strategic Recommendation): The KDE recommends that school districts post the explicit records retention period for each of your approved traceable communication systems transparently on the website so parents can review it.
Estill County Schools Compliance Plan
In compliance with Kentucky House Bill 67 (which amended Senate Bill 181) and Estill County Board Policy 08.2324, the District establishes the following requirements regarding electronic communication between District employees or volunteers and students:
1. Approved Communication Platforms
The Board designates the following platforms as the exclusive traceable communication systems for electronic communication between District staff/volunteers and students. Unless a legally recognized exception applies (such as an emergency, a school-sanctioned field trip, work-based learning, or an explicit parental waiver), staff must use only the following district-approved platforms for direct communication with students:
Apptegy Rooms
Apptegy Thrillshare
Google Workspace for Education applications (e.g., Gmail, Google Classroom, Google Meet)
Microsoft Office 365 applications (e.g., Outlook, Teams, OneDrive)
SportsYou (athletic teams only)
The Band App (band program only)
Class Dojo (Parental Communication only)
All communications between staff/volunteers and students must occur through these designated platforms to ensure traceability and parental access. These platforms support message archiving and administrative oversight. Information regarding specific data retention periods for each system can be obtained via the administrative office or system guidelines. Training on Apptegy Rooms will be provided before the start of the new school year. We will also share platform guidance with parents/guardians.
2. Social Media Guidelines
While HB 67 (KRS 160.145) does not explicitly mandate that staff unfriend or unfollow students on personal social media accounts, it strictly prohibits unauthorized private electronic communication. Strong Recommendation: All certified staff, classified staff, and qualified volunteers are strongly advised to review their personal social media accounts and refrain from private, 1-on-1 digital interactions with students. Private 1-on-1 direct messaging on personal accounts is prohibited unless:
* The student is a defined family member.
* An official parental consent form is on file with the school.
* A commercial/local government affiliation disclosure has been filed. What is Permitted: Public social media posts and comments—which are broadcast openly and are not private, one-on-one direct messages—are fully permitted and do not violate KRS 160.145. Additionally, group digital communications where a parent or at least two school employees/volunteers are included for academic, athletic, or extracurricular purposes are completely permissible.
3. Parental Notification
Within the first ten (10) days of each school year, principals will provide parents or guardians written or electronic notification listing the designated traceable communication platforms used in their child’s school. Notifications will include instructions on how parents can access and review communications sent through these platforms, as well as information regarding the records retention period for each approved system.
4. Parental Consent for Communication Outside Traceable Systems
Parents/guardians may provide written consent to authorize a designated District employee or volunteer to communicate electronically with their child outside of the approved traceable communication systems.
* Submission Process: While the District provides a standard [Parental Consent Form Link] for convenience, parents are legally free to submit written consent in any format they choose. * Filing Requirements: To be legally valid, the written consent must explicitly name each individual school employee or volunteer authorized to communicate with the student, outline any specific terms or expiration dates, and be filed in the administrative office of the student’s school prior to any private communications occurring. * Non-Transferable & Revocable: This consent cannot be transferred to another employee or volunteer. It can be revoked at any time by the parent who originally filed it. * Participation Rights: A school district cannot require a parental consent form as a condition for a student to participate in any academic, athletic, or extracurricular activity.
5.Scope and Restrictions on Electronic Communication
General Rule: District employees or qualified volunteers shall not engage in private electronic communication with students outside of the designated board-approved traceable communication systems unless a legally recognized exception applies or prior written parental consent is filed with the school.
What Constitutes Unauthorized Communication: Unauthorized electronic communication includes any private, one-on-one or group digital conversation (via personal email, personal text messaging, personal social media direct messages, or other non-designated notification programs) that is only accessible to the participants and occurs outside a traceable system.
The Inclusive Message Exception: Communication is not considered unauthorized if it includes a parent of the student as a recipient, or if it is a group message between two or more school employees/volunteers and one or more students directly relating to an academic, athletic, or extracurricular purpose.
The Family Exception: These restrictions do not apply to private electronic communications between a student and a family member or household resident who is a District employee or volunteer.
Expanded Definition of "Family Member": Under HB 67, a family member is defined as a parent, step-parent, foster parent, foreign exchange host parent, legal guardian, brother, sister, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, niece, or grandparent related by consanguinity, affinity, or adoption, as well as any adult who resides in the same household as the student.
Other Legal Exemptions: Private communication outside the traceable system is also explicitly permitted during and in direct relation to: * School-sanctioned field trips (where parental trip consent has been provided). * Work-based learning experiences. * Virtual school instruction or academic feedback mechanisms within educational platforms. * Imminent health or safety emergencies (which must be promptly reported to a supervisor after the fact). * Authorized commercial or local government affiliations (following the submission of a written district disclosure).
Staff Responsibilities and Reporting Requirements
Applicability: These rules apply to all school personnel and qualified volunteers. Any employee supervising or working with volunteers must ensure those individuals understand and follow these communication guidelines. * The Duty to Report: If a school district employee or volunteer participates in an unauthorized electronic communication, or reasonably believes that another employee or volunteer has done so, they are legally required to immediately notify their supervisor. The law does not require staff to speculate, but the duty to report strictly arises upon reasonable belief of a violation.
The Official Reporting Tree: Reports must be escalated dynamically based on the subject of the report:
Standard Staff/Volunteer: Report immediately to the supervising principal or applicable supervisor.
If the subject is a Principal or District-Wide Employee: Report directly to the Superintendent.
If the subject is the Superintendent: Report directly to the Kentucky Commissioner of Education.
Consequences for Failure to Report: Certified and classified employees who fail to report a known or reasonably believed violation may be subject to local district disciplinary action. Certified employees may also face disciplinary action by the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB).
Investigation Procedures and Parent Notifications
Upon receiving a report, the district will launch a fair and objective investigation. In strict compliance with HB 67, the district will implement the following transparency steps: * Immediate Parent Notice: The principal, superintendent, or commissioner will immediately notify the parent or guardian of any student alleged to be a party to the unauthorized communication. * Investigation Updates: Parents will be provided with updates at each material phase of the district's investigation. * Final Outcome Summary: Once the investigation concludes, parents will receive a written summary of the results and the final outcome of any disciplinary actions taken. (Note: The district will strictly ensure that no confidential student information protected by FERPA is shared between uninvolved parties during this process ).
Accountability and Outcomes
Employees found to have engaged in unauthorized electronic communications are subject to disciplinary action by the district and, if certified, by the EPSB. Qualified volunteers who violate these rules may be permanently prohibited from future school volunteer opportunities. Investigations and disciplinary actions will be conducted in accordance with Estill County board policies and Kentucky Revised Statutes, including KRS 160.145.
Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to maintaining a safe, professional, and transparent learning environment. Together, we will ensure compliance with state law and protect the integrity of communication within our schools.