By July 1, as a result of a new state law, local Kentucky school boards must adopt a policy to address complaints submitted by parents alleging that material, a program or an event is harmful to minors.

The Kentucky Department of Education has released guidance on the law, called Senate Bill 5, which requires schools to ensure that a student whose parent has filed a complaint does not have access to the material.

During the recent 2023 General Assembly, critics called the new law “a book banning bill” while its supporters say it is about protecting children from obscene materials in school.

Under the legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, “harmful to minors” means materials, programs or events that:

• Contain the exposure, in an obscene manner, of the unclothed or apparently unclothed human male or female genitals, pubic area, or buttocks or the female breast, or visual depictions of sexual acts or simulations of sexual acts, or explicit written descriptions of sexual acts;
• Taken as a whole, appeal to the prurient interest in sex; or
• Is patently offensive to prevailing standards regarding what is suitable for minors.

Each school’s principal must oversee the complaint resolution process.

Complaints must be submitted in writing to the principal where the student is enrolled and include the name of the person filing it.

Complaints must also include a reasonably detailed description of the material, program or event and how it is believed to be harmful to...

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