- Kentucky state law mandates the teaching of sexuality education, though curricula are not required to be comprehensive.
- All sex ed curricula must include instruction on abstinence as the desirable goal for school-age youth.
- Sex ed curricula are not required to be medically accurate, or to include instruction on sexual orientation, gender identity, or consent.
- Thanks to SB 150, enacted in 2023, Kentucky now requires written parental consent prior to students receiving sex education in sixth grade and up. This law also prohibits sex education in grades kindergarten through fifth, and restricts any instruction in public schools that studies gender identity, expression, or sexual orientation.
- SB 5 was also enacted in 2023. It creates procedures for parents to challenge school material they consider “harmful to minors.”
- Sex education is mentioned within the “Practical Living (Health and Physical Education)” section of the Kentucky Academic Standards, and states that students must learn about “how decision-making relates to responsible sexual behavior … and impacts the physical, mental, and social well-being of an individual.”
Some Sex Ed Advocates Within the State
For more detailed information on how various districts in the state have been implementing these standards — and for recent legislation — you can read SIECUS’s Kentucky profile.