KRS 158.181: Legislative findings.

(1) The General Assembly finds the following:

(a) Judicial decisions concerning religion, free speech, and public education are

widely misunderstood and misapplied;

(b) Confusion surrounding these decisions has caused some to be less

accommodating of the religious liberty and free speech rights of student s than

permitted under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution;

(c) Confusion surrounding these decisions has resulted in needless conflicts and

litigation;

(d) The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the establishment

clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution requires that

public schools neither advance or inhibit religion. Public schools should be

neutral in matters of faith and should treat religion with fairness and respect;

(e) Neutrality to religion do es not require hostility to religion. The establishment

clause does not prohibit reasonable accommodation of religion, nor does the

clause prohibit appropriate teaching about religion;

(f) Accommodation of religion is required by the free speech and free e xercise

clauses of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution; and

(g) Setting forth the religious liberty rights of students in a statute would assist

students and parents in the enforcement of the religious liberty rights of

students and would provide impetus to efforts in public schools to

accommodate religious belief in feasible cases.

(2) The purpose of KRS 158.181 to 158.187 is to create a safe harbor for schools

desiring to avoid litigation and to allow the free speech and religious libert y rights

of students to the extent permissible under the establishment clause.