{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-159.010","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 159.010","heading":"Parent or custodian to send  child to school -- Age  limits for","body":"compulsory  attendance -- Local board of education may  adopt policy\nextending  compulsory  attendance requirements to age 18 -- All local\nboards  to extend age limit upon  adoption of policy by 55 percent of\nschool  districts -- Notification and  counseling prior to withdrawal --\nEncouragement  to reenroll after withdrawal.\n(1) (a) Except as provided in KRS  159.030 and paragraphs (b) and (c) of this\nsubsection, each parent, guardian, or other person residing in the state\nand having in custody or charge any child who has entered the primary\nschool program or any child between the ages of six (6) and sixteen (16)\nshall send the child to a regular public day school for the full term that the\npublic school of the district in which the child resides is in session or to\nthe public school that the board of education of the district makes\nprovision for the child to attend. A child's age is between six (6) and\nsixteen (16) when the child has reached his or her sixth birthday and has\nnot passed his or her sixteenth birthday.\n(b) 1. Effective with the 2015-2016 school year, a local board of education\nmay,  upon the recommendation of the superintendent, adopt a\ndistrict-wide policy to require, except as provided in KRS  159.030,\neach parent, guardian, or other person residing in the district and\nhaving in custody or charge any child who has entered the primary\nschool program or any child between the ages six (6) and eighteen\n(18) to send the child to a regular public school for the full term of\nthe district in which the child resides or to the public school that the\ndistrict makes provisions for the child to attend.\n2. All children residing in the district, except as provided in KRS\n159.030, shall be subject to the local board's compulsory age policy.\n3. A district shall impose the same compulsory age requirement for all\nstudents residing in the district, even if the district has entered a\ncontract to permit some students to attend school in another public\nschool district that has not adopted a policy under this paragraph.\n4. A  local board of education adopting a policy under this paragraph\nshall certify to the Kentucky Department of Education that the district\nhas, or will have, programs in place to meet the needs of potential\ndropouts. Implementation of the policy shall be contingent on notice\nof approval by the department.\n(c) When  fifty-five percent (55%) of all local school districts have adopted a\npolicy in accordance with paragraph (b) of this subsection, all local school\ndistricts shall be  required to adopt  the  compulsory  attendance\nrequirements under paragraph (b) of this subsection. This requirement\nshall be effective with the school year that occurs four (4) years after the\nfifty-five percent (55%) threshold is met.\n(2) An  unmarried child between the ages of sixteen (16) and eighteen (18) who\nresides in a district that has not adopted a policy under subsection (1)(b) of this\nsection who wishes to terminate his or her public or nonpublic education prior\nto graduating from high school shall do so only after a conference with the\nprincipal or his or her designee, and the principal shall request a conference\nwith the parent, guardian, or other custodian. Written notification of withdrawal\nmust  be received from his parent, guardian, or other person residing in the\nstate and having custody or charge of him. The child and the parent, guardian,\nor other custodian shall be required to attend a one (1) hour counseling\nsession with a school counselor on potential problems of nongraduates.\n(3) A  child's age is between sixteen (16) and eighteen (18) when the child has\nreached his sixteenth birthday and has not passed his eighteenth birthday.\nWritten permission for withdrawal shall not be required after the child's\neighteenth birthday. Every child who is a resident in this state is subject to the\nlaws relating to compulsory attendance, including the compulsory attendance\nrequirements of a school district under subsection (1)(b) of this section. Neither\nthe child nor the person in charge of the child shall be excused from the\noperation of those laws or the penalties under them on the ground that the\nchild's residence is seasonable or that his or her parent is a resident of another\nstate.\n(4) Each  school district shall contact each student between the ages of sixteen\n(16) and eighteen (18) who  has voluntarily withdrawn from school under\nsubsection (2) of this section within three (3) months of the date of withdrawal\nto encourage the student to reenroll in a regular program, alternative program,\nor High School Equivalency Diploma program. In the event the student does\nnot reenroll at that time, the school district shall make  at least one (1) more\nattempt to reenroll the student before the beginning of the school year following\nthe school year in which the student terminated his or her enrollment.","path":["KRS Chapter 159"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46050","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:06Z","sha256":"3a29d9c580313b4a1d25b3fee01620f15a41e31f2ed6bb20305e19c6c26772e8","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-158.990","next":"us-ky/krs-159.020"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}