{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-158.193","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 158.193","heading":"Private religious expression by school employees -- Activities permitted","body":"while employees are on duty -- Construction.\n(1) For the purposes of this section, \"on duty\" means those times when a school district\nemployee is:\n(a) Required by the district to be on campus or at another designated location and\nrequired to perform the scope of the employee's duties; or\n(b) Otherwise acting as a designated representative of the school district.\n(2) A school district shall not punish or prohibit an employ ee from, or punish an\nemployee for, engaging in private religious expression otherwise protected by the\nFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution absent a showing that the\nemployee has engaged in actual coercion.\n(3) While a school district employee is on duty, the employee may, at a minimum:\n(a) Engage in religious expression and discussions and share religious materials\nwith other employees at the same time and in the same manner that employees\nare permitted to engage in nonreligious expression and discussions outside the\nscope of duties;\n(b) Engage in private religious expression at a time when it is otherwise\npermissible for an employee to engage in private expressive conduct or act\noutside the scope of duties;\n(c) Meet with other district employ ees for prayer or religious study during times\nthat the employee is allowed to act outside the scope of duties, including but\nnot limited to employee breaks, time before school, and during lunch;\n(d) Work as a sponsor of a student religious club or organiz ation and assist\nstudents in planning meetings, activities, and events to the same extent that\nemployee sponsors of nonreligious clubs or organizations are permitted to do\nso;\n(e) Wear religious clothing, symbols, or jewelry, provided that such items\notherwise comply with any dress code implemented by the school district;\n(f) Decorate their desk and other personal spaces with personal items that reflect\ntheir religious beliefs to the same extent that other employees are permitted to\ndecorate their desk and other personal spaces with personal items; and\n(g) During noninstruction al time, engage in religious expression and share\nreligious materials to the same extent that other employees may engage in\nprivate expression permitted under the First Amendment to the United States\nConstitution.\n(4) Nothing in this section shall be const rued to authorize the state or any other\ngovernmental organization to:\n(a) Require any person to participate in prayer or any other religious activity; or\n(b) Violate the constitutional rights of any person.\n(5) This section shall not be construed to limit a school district's authority to:\n(a) Maintain order and discipline on school property in a content -neutral and\nviewpoint-neutral manner;\n(b) Protect the safety of students, employees, and visitors; and\n(c) Adopt and enforce policies and procedures regard ing student speech at school\nthat respect the rights of students.","path":["KRS Chapter 158"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53910","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:04Z","sha256":"05ac061b33947c7b06b8acd79cd6bac8458c28dc2640b25720dabc9ce20aaa0f","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-158.192","next":"us-ky/krs-158.194"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}