Kentucky HB 727: AN ACT relating to adoption records.

Bill Text

CHAPTER 196
Legislative Research Commission PDF Version

1
CHAPTER 196
( HB 727 )
AN ACT relating to education and declaring an emergency.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
Section 1. KRS 161.028 is amended to read as follows:
(1) The Education Professional Standards Board is recognized to be a public body corporate and politic and an
agency and instrumentality of the Commonwealth, in the performance of essential governmental functions.
The Education Professional Standards Board has the authority and responsibility to:
(a) Establish standards and requirements for obtaining and maintaining a teaching certificate;
(b) Set standards for, approve, and evaluate college, university, and school district programs for the
preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel. College or university programs may be
approved by the board for a college or university with regional institutional level accreditation or
national institutional level accreditation that is recognized by the United States Department of
Education and is eligible to receive federal funding under 20 U.S.C. secs. 1061 to 1063. Program
standards shall reflect national standards and shall address, at a minimum, the following:
1. The alignment of programs with the state's core content for assessment as defined in KRS
158.6457;
2. Research-based classroom practices, including effective classroom management techniques;
3. Emphasis on subject matter competency of teacher education students;
4. Methodologies to meet diverse educational needs of all students;
5. The consistency and quality of classroom and field experiences, including early practicums and
student teaching experiences;
6. The amount of college-wide or university-wide involvement and support during the preparation
as well as the induction of new teachers;
7. The diversity of faculty;
8. The effectiveness of partnerships with local school districts; and
9. The performance of graduates on various measures as determined by the board;
(c) Conduct an annual review of diversity in teacher preparation programs;
(d) Provide assistance to universities and colleges in addressing diversity, which may include researching
successful strategies and disseminating the information, encouraging the development of nontraditional
avenues of recruitment and providing incentives, waiving administrative regulations when needed, and
other assistance as deemed necessary;
(e) Discontinue approval of programs that do not meet standards or whose graduates do not perform
according to criteria set by the board;
(f) Issue, renew, revoke, suspend, or refuse to issue or renew; impose probationary or supervisory
conditions upon; issue a written reprimand or admonishment; or any combination of actions regarding
any certificate;
(g) Develop specific guidelines to follow upon receipt of an allegation of sexual misconduct by an
employee certified by the Education Professional Standards Board. The guidelines shall include
investigation, inquiry, and hearing procedures which ensure the process does not revictimize the alleged
victim or cause harm if an employee is falsely accused;
(h) Receive, along with investigators hired by the Education Professional Standards Board, training on the
dynamics of sexual misconduct of professionals, including the nature of this abuse of authority,
characteristics of the offender, the impact on the victim, the possibility and the impact of false

ACTS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2
accusations, investigative procedures in sex offense cases, and effective intervention with victims and
offenders;
(i) Recommend to the Kentucky Board of Education the essential data elements relating to teacher
preparation and certification, teacher supply and demand, teacher attrition, teacher diversity, and
employment trends to be included in a state comprehensive data and information system and
periodically report data to the appropriate Interim Joint Committee on Education;
(j) Submit reports to the Governor and the Legislative Research Commission and inform the public on the
status of teaching in Kentucky;
(k) Devise a credentialing system that provides alternative routes to gaining certification and greater
flexibility in staffing local schools while maintaining standards for teacher competence;
(l) Develop a professional code of ethics;
(m) Charge reasonable fees for the issuance, reissuance, and renewal of certificates that are established by
administrative regulation. The proceeds shall be used to meet a portion of the costs of the issuance,
reissuance, and renewal of certificates, [and ]the costs associated with disciplinary action against a
certificate holder under KRS 161.120, and the costs associated with the development and maintenance
of the Kentucky Educator Placement Service System required under Section 2 of this Act;
(n) Waive a requirement that may be established in an administrative regulation promulgated by the board.
A request for a waiver shall be submit