Welcome to the 2025–2026 School Year!
Below, you’ll find important information about new state and federal laws, district policies, and other updates. We encourage all families to review these changes carefully and reach out if you have any questions. Together, we can ensure a successful and informed school year for every student.
Moment of Silence at the Start of the School Day
During the 2025 Legislative Session, the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 96, which establishes a moment of silence or reflection at the beginning of each school day.
What the Law Requires:
Each school must observe a moment of silence or reflection at the start of the day.
This period must last at least one minute but no more than two minutes.
Students are expected to remain seated and silent, without distracting others.
During this time, students may choose to pray, meditate, or engage in another silent, personal activity.
Students’ choices must not interfere with or distract from others’ use of this time.
District and school personnel may not provide instruction or guidance on how a student should use this time.
We encourage families to review these guidelines and speak with their student(s) about how they may wish to use this moment of silence or reflection.
Cell Phone Policy
With the passage of House Bill 208 during the 2025 Kentucky Legislative session, schools are now required to adopt a policy prohibiting student use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices, including access to social media use during the school day.
Beginning this school year, students may continue to possess personal telecommunication devices (e.g., cell phones, headphones, tablets, other electronic devices), but devices must be turned off and out of sight during the school day.
Use of these devices is prohibited during instructional time throughout the day, except in the following situations:
- In an emergency
- When explicitly directed by a teacher for instructional use
- With prior teacher authorization
- A device authorized to use pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
This policy (09.4261) has been updated in the Student Code of Conduct Handbook for the 2025-26 school year.
SB 181 - Traceable Communication
In accordance with Senate Bill 181 and KRS 160.145, the Henderson County Board of Education has designated the following traceable communication systems for employees and volunteers to communicate electronically with students.
Rooms by Apptegy (new for 2025–2026)
Microsoft Outlook (using your @henderson.kyschools.us account)
Infinite Campus
Google Classroom
Talking Points for EL students and families
Apptegy Rooms is new for 2025-2026. It centralizes all communications in a single, secure platform where every message is time-stamped, archived, reportable, and visible to authorized staff.
The district app is available for anyone to download including community members that want to know about news and upcoming events. Rooms is a secure environment that is available only to families with students currently attending the district and those who are active teachers, staff, and administration.
Students and guardians will need a login and password to access Rooms. Families will receive an invitation to sign up for Rooms at the start of the year.
Please visit the link on our website for more information
Requirements for Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications in Schools
*Order/consent forms need to be completed for both over-the-counter and prescription medications.
Effective with the 2025–2026 school year, no OTC medications—such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antacids, or cough drops or prescription medications may be administered to students unless the school has:
A written order from a licensed medical provider, and
A signed consent form from a parent or guardian.
This statewide regulation is part of an ongoing initiative to enhance student safety and standardize health procedures across Kentucky schools.
In addition, no more than a 30-day supply of any medication may be delivered to the school at one time. Due to limited secure storage space, large bulk containers (such as 200-count bottles of Tylenol) will not be accepted.
To help families prepare, Henderson County Schools has made the required Medication Permission Form available online. The form is not valid unless it includes both the healthcare provider’s signature and the parent or guardian’s signature.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to discuss this new requirement with their child’s healthcare provider during upcoming wellness visits or routine check-ups to ensure a smooth transition into the new school year. For additional information or questions, please contact your school nurse or building administrator.
Medication Administration During Delayed Start Times
Please note that in the event of a 1-hour or 2-hour school delay, morning medications normally administered between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. will not be given at school. If your child requires morning medication, please administer it at home prior to their arrival. This helps ensure proper timing and safety in accordance with school health protocols.
Drugs and Alcohol Resources for Parents and Educators
https://kycss.org/school-safety-issues/drug-abuse/
Kentucky Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program-- Information for Families
https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/dpqi/cdpb/Pages/tobcessation.aspx
Senate Bill (SB) 73[1]
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students is one of the many responsibilities that we have as a school district. Senate Bill (SB) 73[1], related to sexual extortion, was recently passed by the legislature and requires the district to provide the following information about sexual extortion to help ensure that parents/guardians have the resources they need to support their student(s) and protect them from being victimized (KRS 531.125).
Sexual extortion, also known as sextortion, occurs when someone threatens another person – through violence, harm to reputation, or distribution of explicit material – with the intent to coerce them into unwanted actions. These actions may include engaging in sexual conduct, providing explicit content, providing money or valuables, or complying with demands against the victims’ will. These situations can cause significant emotional distress and place victims in dangerous situations. Many victims feel forced to comply because they fear the repercussions. Below is the exact language in SB 73/KRS 531.125, followed by resources provided to support you and your student.
Sexual Extortion is defined as:
(1) A person is guilty of sexual extortion when he or she communicates, through any means, a threat to:
(a) Injure the property or reputation of another person or commit violence against another person with the intent to coerce that person to:
1. Engage in sexual conduct; or
2. Produce, provide, or distribute any matter depicting that person engaging in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity; or
(b) Distribute any matter depicting another person engaged in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity with the intent to coerce that person to:
1. Engage in sexual conduct;
2. Produce, provide, or distribute any matter depicting that person engaging in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity;
3. Provide the payment of money, property, services, or any other thing of value to the perpetrator; or
4. Do any act or refrain from doing any act against his or her will.
Schools are required to display posters with resources to help young people report and seek support if they believe they or someone they know are victims of sextortion. One of the most effective ways to protect youth is by encouraging open communication with trusted adults.
Parents and guardians play a key role in keeping their student(s)safe by discussing healthy relationships and by respecting boundaries. Together, we can help ensure these children understand that sexual extortion is NEVER their fault, and that there is always someone out there to help them navigate these situations if they find that they have fallen victim to these predators. Offenders often manipulate, groom, or trick young people into sharing images and scare them into submission. To support families, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) provides resources to help parents talk with their student(s) about these risks and take steps to remove harmful images from the internet.
What Parents Should Know About Sextortion: https://www.missingkids.org/content/dam/netsmartz/downloadable/tipsheets/sextortion-what-parents-should-know.pdf
Even if an explicit image or video has been shared, there are ways to have it removed. Parents and guardians can help young people by using NCMEC’s Take It Down tool and reporting the content to the platform or app where it was posted. For more information, visit these resources:
Take It Down – Remove Explicit Images: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
Our district is committed to helping you keep your students safe from sexual extortion. Please do not hesitate to contact school or district staff with any questions or concerns related to this critical issue.
[1] The full text of SB 73 is available at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/sb73/bill.pdf and becomes effective June 27, 2025. SB 73 creates a new statute, KRS 531.125, and is available at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56088.
Henderson County Schools Participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program for the 2025- 2026 School Year
Henderson County Schools is pleased to announce its continued participation in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2025–2026 school year. Through the implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), all students from preschool through high school will receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at no cost each school day.
Thanks to CEP, families will not need to complete a household application or pay any fees for their child(ren) to participate in these meal programs. This initiative helps ensure that every student has access to nutritious meals, supporting their well-being and academic success.
For more information, visit:
2025 Legislative Guidance