30 Jun What to Know as New Child Welfare Laws Take Effect
As we enter the heat of summer, we are starting to see the implementation of many of the bills passed during the 2025 legislative session. Several of those laws are set to impact children directly, especially in school settings.
Two of the new laws, Senate Bills 73 and 120, were 2025 Kosair for Kids Face It Movement Policy Priorities, aimed at preventing abuse and promoting child safety through education and accountability. A third, Senate Bill 181, addresses growing concerns around technology, transparency, and safety in schools.
Whether you’re a parent, educator, or advocate, here’s what to expect as these new laws take effect.
Senate Bill 73
Sexual extortion is a growing threat to young people, especially in digital spaces. SB 73 takes direct action by creating the standalone crime of sexual extortion in Kentucky law. The criminal provisions of the bill go into effect on Friday, June 27, 2025, giving law enforcement and prosecutors a new tool to hold offenders accountable.
The new offense applies when someone threatens to release explicit content or cause harm in order to coerce sexual activity, additional images, or payment. Penalties are enhanced when the victim is a minor, experiences serious harm, or when the offender is in a position of trust, like a teacher or coach. Sexual extortion is now included in Kentucky’s definition of a sex crime, and victims can also file civil lawsuits for damages and legal fees.
The law also builds in school-based prevention. Starting during the 2025-2026 school year, students in grade 4 and up, and their caregivers, must receive information about what sexual extortion is within the first 10 days of school. Additionally, schools serving middle and high school students, along with postsecondary institutions, must display posters that include a definition, crisis resources, and a QR code linking to more information.
Senate Bill 120
Students should feel safe not only in the classroom but also on the field and in the gym. SB 120 addresses this by ensuring school coaches and athletic administrators are trained to recognize and report dependency, abuse or neglect.
The law requires these staff members to complete training specific to spotting and reporting harm. It also updates consent forms for student athletes to include clear language about reporting rights and how to report dependency, abuse or neglect.
These changes help ensure that both adults and families are informed and prepared if something concerning happens.
Senate Bill 181
SB 181 has generated some questions, so it’s worth clarifying what the law does. First, it creates consistent expectations around how school personnel communicate with students.
Staff must use traceable platforms such as school email, Google Classroom, or other monitored communication tools when interacting with students. However, if a parent gives written permission, other forms of communication like texting or private messaging are allowed. This ensures that only adults trusted by a student’s parents are communicating directly with them. The law does not limit communication between school staff and parents.
The law’s passage is a direct response to the growing role of technology and electronic communication being used to carry out educator sexual misconduct. To learn more about this problem, researcher and former KY public school student, Kotomi Yokokura, discusses it here.
SB 181 also supports child safety by making it clear that schools can offer age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention instruction at any grade level, establishing timelines for locating children that are most at risk of harm, and requiring an annual public report to be published on relatives and fictive kin caregiver placements.
What’s Next
Each of these laws takes a step toward making schools and communities safer for kids. All updates to school policies to be compliant with new laws must be in place by August 15. Local school boards will be considering and voting to adopt new policies throughout the summer. As they begin to take effect, we will be watching how implementation plays out and what additional support may be needed for schools, families, and agencies to carry out these changes effectively.
To read more about what passed this session and what missed opportunities we need to advocate for during the interim period, visit our full legislative recap.
A special thank you to Kosair for Kids for their continued support of the Face It Movement and to the Face It Policy Team for all of their work during the 2025 legislative session and for their ongoing efforts as we prepare for the next session. These wins would not be possible without your commitment to preventing child abuse and promoting safety for Kentucky kids.