{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-158.175","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 158.175","heading":"Recitation of Lord's prayer and pledge of allegiance -- Instruction in","body":"proper respect for and display of the flag -- Observation of moment of silence\nor reflection.\n(1) As a continuation of the policy of teaching our country's history and as an\naffirmation of the freedom of religion in this country, the board of education of a\nlocal school district may authorize the recitation of the traditional Lord's prayer and\nthe pledge of allegiance to the flag in public elementary schools. Pupil particip ation\nin the recitation of the prayer and pledge of allegiance shall be voluntary. Pupils\nshall be reminded that this Lord's prayer is the prayer our pilgrim fathers recited\nwhen they came to this country in their search for freedom. Pupils shall be informed\nthat these exercises are not meant to influence an individual's personal religious\nbeliefs in any manner. The exercises shall be conducted so that pupils shall learn of\nour great freedoms, including the freedom of religion symbolized by the recitation\nof the Lord's prayer.\n(2) The board of education of each school district shall establish a policy and develop\nprocedures whereby the pupils in each elementary and secondary school may\nparticipate in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States at the\ncommencement of each school day.\n(3) The Kentucky Board of Education shall develop a program of instruction relating to\nthe flag of the United States of America, including instruction in etiquette, the\ncorrect use and display of the flag, and other patriotic exercises as may be related.\nThis program of instruction shall be provided to each public school for use in its\ncourse of instruction. The program of instruction, at a minimum, shall include the\nprovisions of 4 U.S.C. secs. 1 to 3 and 4 U.S.C. secs. 5 to 9.\n(4) The board of education of each local school district may purchase or otherwise\nacquire and provide for display in each classroom copies of the Declaration of\nIndependence, the Gettysburg Address, and other documents the local board deems\nsignificant to the history of Kentucky and the United States.\n(5) (a) The board of education of each local school district shall establish a policy\nand develop procedures whereby, at the commencement of the first class of\neach day in all public schools, ther e shall be a moment of silence or reflection\nof at least one (1) minute, but not to exceed two (2) minutes, in duration.\n(b) The policy required in paragraph (a) of this subsection shall ensure that all\npupils remain seated and silent and make no distracti ng display so that each\npupil may, in the exercise of his or her individual choice, meditate, pray, or\nengage in any other silent activity which does not interfere with, distract from,\nor impede other pupils' exercise of individual choice. The policy shall prohibit\ndistrict personnel from providing instruction to any student regarding the\nnature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of\nsilence or reflection. The policy shall require notification be sent to parents or\nguardians pro viding information on the policy and encouraging parents and\nguardians to provide guidance to their pupils regarding the moment of silence\nor reflection.","path":["KRS Chapter 158"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56380","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:04Z","sha256":"d2c5a0fdcf970266772e396216bb50368c6cc80c44a681ded899282b8ba9eb5c","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-158.170","next":"us-ky/krs-158.177"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}