SB 181 Staff and Volunteer Communication

Mayfield Independent Schools

Senate Bill 181/KRS 160.145

Traceable Communications with Students

Frequently Asked Questions

STAFF

1. When does this law go into effect?

A: June 27, 2025

2. Does this law affect the way I communicate with parents?

A: No

3. What are the district approved methods of communication between students and district employees, coaches and volunteers?

A: No other communication tools or platforms can be used except the ones below:

Any application in the district provided G-Suite platform (which would include things like Gmail, Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Meet…basically anything in the waffle)
GoGuardian Teacher
The District App (Edlio - Conversations, which will be launched at the start of the school year).

4. Can I use any method or app other than the ones listed above?

A. No, not for student communication.

5. What can I do until the district app is ready?
A: Contact only parents/guardians or other family members that are NOT students.

6. I’ve heard there is a waiver, can we just use that?

A. Not as a general rule. The waiver comes with lots of conditions that will make it very difficult to manage and very few would be approved.

7. I have a social media account where both students and parents follow me, do I have to delete those?

A. While the law doesn’t say you have to delete them, it is very clear that you can’t communicate with students via this method. We recommend blocking/unfollowing all students and anyone following your page you don’t know. Any communications with students via social media will be in violation of the law.

8. I am an employee, coach or volunteer of the district and a student has reached out to me via an unauthorized method to communicate. What should I do?

A: Do not respond to the student on unauthorized communication platforms. Instead, reach out to the student via an authorized communication platform so that it will be traced or reach out to the parent and provide the information the student is requesting.

9. Can I communicate with students that are family?

A. Yes, however, this law has a narrow definition of a family member who has permission to contact students outside of an approved traceable communication platform. Approved family members are as follows: parent/legal guardian, brother, sister, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, or grandparent. Please note cousins and in-laws are NOT included in this list. Nor are people who just live in the same household or are “like family."

10. Is there a statement recommended that I can use to communicate these changes with parents?

A: Yes, “Due to policy changes, I will no longer be communicating with students via any method other than district approved G-Suite products, GoGuardian Teacher and/or the District app “Edlio:Conversations” tool.”

11. Why is Mayfield changing these processes?

A. This is a state law. The legislature is doing this in an effort to protect both staff and students from issues that sometimes arise in the digital world of communications.