{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-158.181","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 158.181","heading":"Legislative findings.","body":"(1) The General Assembly finds the following:\n(a) Judicial decisions concerning religion, free speech, and public education are\nwidely misunderstood and misapplied;\n(b) Confusion surrounding these decisions has caused some to be less\naccommodating of the religious liberty and free speech rights of student s than\npermitted under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution;\n(c) Confusion surrounding these decisions has resulted in needless conflicts and\nlitigation;\n(d) The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the establishment\nclause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution requires that\npublic schools neither advance or inhibit religion. Public schools should be\nneutral in matters of faith and should treat religion with fairness and respect;\n(e) Neutrality to religion do es not require hostility to religion. The establishment\nclause does not prohibit reasonable accommodation of religion, nor does the\nclause prohibit appropriate teaching about religion;\n(f) Accommodation of religion is required by the free speech and free e xercise\nclauses of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution; and\n(g) Setting forth the religious liberty rights of students in a statute would assist\nstudents and parents in the enforcement of the religious liberty rights of\nstudents and would  provide impetus to efforts in public schools to\naccommodate religious belief in feasible cases.\n(2) The purpose of KRS 158.181 to 158.187 is to create a safe harbor for schools\ndesiring to avoid litigation and to allow the free speech and religious libert y rights\nof students to the extent permissible under the establishment clause.","path":["KRS Chapter 158"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=3465","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:04Z","sha256":"fd8d70fa244acb8802220f7a61cfe345f516057068678bf07479e21bb67c02e6","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-158.180","next":"us-ky/krs-158.182"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}