KY HB829

Local school boards in Kentucky are required to allow pupils to be excused for at least one hour each week (changed from optional "up to" one hour on one day) to attend off-campus moral instruction with parental consent, including travel time.

Moral instruction providers must submit a written plan including contact information, location, transportation plan, liability acknowledgment, indemnification agreement, and proof of insurance; all instructors and transporters must pass state and federal criminal background checks and child abuse/neglect checks at the provider's expense.

Individuals with records of child abuse/neglect, sex crimes against minors, or violent crimes are barred from providing transportation or participating in moral instruction offerings.

Students attending moral instruction receive full attendance credit and SEEK funding calculation; non-participating students remain in school but are no longer required to take noncredit enrichment courses during that time.

The Attorney General may bring mandamus actions to compel school board compliance, and qualified individuals may sue for injunctive relief with sovereign immunity waived; attorney's fees are recoverable upon proof of intentional violations, and retaliation against those filing claims is prohibited.