{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-158.4416","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 158.4416","heading":"Trauma -informed approach to education -- Goals for employment of","body":"school-based counselors -- Trauma-informed team to recognize and deal with\nissues of student trauma -- Collaboration for services between two or more\nschool districts or between sc hool districts, educational cooperatives, or other\npublic or private entities -- Annual report to department on school -based\nmental health service providers in each district -- Report to Interim Joint\nCommittee on Education -- Toolkits to develop trauma -informed approach in\nschools -- Plan and strategies for implementing trauma-informed approach.\n(1) For purposes of this section:\n(a) \"Direct services\" means in -person or virtual services provided directly to a\nstudent by a school counselor, inclu ding but not limited to individual\ncounseling, group counseling, and individual student planning, scheduling,\nand registration;\n(b) \"Indirect services\" means services provided on behalf of a student as a result\nof interactions with others, including but no t limited to consultation and\ncollaboration with parents, teachers, and other educators;\n(c) \"School counselor\" means an individual who holds a valid school counselor\ncertificate issued in accordance with the administrative regulations of the\nEducation Professional Standards Board;\n(d) \"School psychologist\" means an individual who holds a valid school\npsychology certificate issued in accordance with the administrative\nregulations of the Education Professional Standards Board;\n(e) \"School social worker\" mean s an individual who holds a valid school social\nwork certificate issued in accordance with the administrative regulations of\nthe Education Professional Standards Board;\n(f) \"School-based mental health services provider\" means a certified school\ncounselor, school psychologist, school social worker, or other qualified\nmental health professional as defined in KRS 202A.011;\n(g) \"Trauma\" means physical, emotional, or life-threatening harm; and\n(h) \"Trauma-informed approach\" means incorporating principles of trau ma\nawareness and trauma-informed practices in a school in order to foster a safe,\nstable, and understanding learning environment for all students and staff and\nensuring that all students are known well by at least one (1) adult in the school\nsetting.\n(2) The General Assembly recognizes that all schools must provide a place for students\nto feel safe and supported to learn throughout the school day, and that any trauma a\nstudent may have experienced can have a significant impact on the ability of a\nstudent to learn. The General Assembly directs all public schools to adopt a trauma-\ninformed approach to education in order to better recognize, understand, and\naddress the learning needs of students impacted by trauma and to foster a learning\nenvironment where all students, including those who have been traumatized, can be\nsafe, successful, and known well by at least one (1) adult in the school setting. The\nrequirements of this subsection shall apply to public charter schools as a health and\nsafety requirement under KRS 160.1592(1).\n(3) (a) As funds and qualified personnel become available:\n1. Each school district and each public charter school shall employ at least\none (1) schoo l counselor in each school with the goal of the school\ncounselor spending at least sixty percent (60%) or more of his or her\ntime providing direct services to students and no more than forty percent\n(40%) of his or her time providing indirect services to students; and\n2. It shall be the goal that each school district and each public charter\nschool shall provide at least one (1) school counselor or school -based\nmental health services provider who is employed by the school district\nfor every two hundred fifty  (250) students, including but not limited to\nthe school counselor required in subparagraph 1. of this paragraph.\n(b) A school counselor or school -based mental health services provider at each\nschool shall be the facilitator of a trauma -informed team to identify and assist\nstudents whose learning, behavior, and relationships have been impacted by\ntrauma. The trauma -informed team may consist of school administrators,\nschool counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, school -based\nmental health s ervices providers, community -based mental health services\nproviders hired by the district, family resource and youth services\ncoordinators, school nurses, school resource officers, and any other school or\ndistrict personnel.\n(c) The trauma-informed team shall:\n1. Provide assistance to school personnel to enable them to support\nstudents whose learning, behavior, and relationships have been impacted\nby trauma;\n2. Identify ways to recognize and respond to mental health issues in all\nstudents; and\n3. Identify ways to build resiliency and wellness in all students.\n(d) Each school counselor or school -based mental health services provider\nproviding services pursuant to this section, and the trauma -informed team\nmembers described in paragraph (b) of this subsection,  shall provide training,\nguidance, and assistance to other administrators, teachers, and staff on:\n1. Recognizing symptoms of trauma in students;\n2. Utilizing interventions and strategies to support the learning needs of\nthose students; and\n3. Implementing the plan for a trauma -informed approach as described in\nsubsection (5) of this section.\n(e) 1. School districts may employ or contract for the services of school -based\nmental health services providers to assist with the development and\nimplementation of a trauma-informed approach and the development of\na trauma-informed team pursuant to this subsection and to enhance or\nexpand student mental health support services as funds and qualified\npersonnel become available.\n2. School-based mental health services pr oviders may provide services\nthrough a collaboration between two (2) or more school districts or\nbetween school districts and educational cooperatives or any other\npublic or private entities, including but not limited to local or regional\nmental health day treatment programs.\n(f) No later than November 1 of each year, the local school district\nsuperintendent shall report to the department the number of school -based\nmental health service providers, the position held, placement in the district,\ncertification or licensure held, the source of funding for each position, a\nsummary of the job duties and work undertaken by each school -based mental\nhealth service provider, and the approximate percent of time devoted to each\nduty over the course of the year.\n(g) The d epartment shall annually compile and maintain a list of school -based\nmental health service providers by district which shall include the information\nrequired in paragraph (f) of this subsection.\n(h) No later than June 1 of each year, the department shall p rovide the Interim\nJoint Committee on Education with the information reported by local school\ndistrict superintendents and compiled in accordance with paragraph (g) of this\nsubsection.\n(4) The department shall make available a toolkit that includes guidanc e, strategies,\nbehavioral interventions, practices, and techniques to assist school districts and\npublic charter schools in developing a trauma-informed approach in schools.\n(5) Each local board of education and board of a public charter school shall devel op a\nplan for implementing a trauma -informed approach in its schools. The plan shall\ninclude but not be limited to strategies for:\n(a) Enhancing trauma awareness throughout the school community;\n(b) Conducting an assessment of the school climate, including  but not limited to\ninclusiveness and respect for diversity;\n(c) Developing trauma-informed discipline policies;\n(d) Collaborating with the Department of Kentucky State Police, the local sheriff,\nand the local chief of police to create procedures for notif ication of trauma -\nexposed students; and\n(e) Providing services and programs designed to reduce the negative impact of\ntrauma, support critical learning, and foster a positive and safe school\nenvironment for every student.\n(6) The trauma-informed approach plan developed in accordance with subsection (5) of\nthis section shall be reviewed and updated annually and submitted to the\ndepartment. The department shall annually provide a summary of the trauma -\ninformed approach strategies being used in districts to the board and the Legislative\nResearch Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Education.","path":["KRS Chapter 158"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56512","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:05Z","sha256":"3a1bab58a9ef82d768f059900bcbf0f353a4795f66c137bc80e51e4b7d5b6304","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-158.4415","next":"us-ky/krs-158.4418"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}