All JCS staff members (including coaches, club sponsors, and volunteers) in compliance with KRS 160.145 are required to use ParentSquare as their primary messaging platform to electronically communicate with their classes, teams, clubs, etc. Email, using district-provided accounts, is also an acceptable way to electronically communicate with students. It is important to note that staff members are restricted from engaging in unauthorized, one to one electronic communication with students via personal text messaging, private group chats, or social media. In addition, teachers and students should not be friends or follow one another on social media.
While the law does include an exception for electronic communication by parents, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and grandparents who are school employees or volunteers, there is another method for other exceptions to be made. Families who wish to provide written permission for a staff member or volunteer to engage in private electronic communication with their child can fill out a district consent form. Under HB 67, these consent forms can cover multiple school personnel and are kept on file at the school.
This should be used for individual circumstances, as broad team, class, or group communication should still ideally occur through ParentSquare or district email accounts for transparency.
Steps for Completing a Waiver:
The parent/guardian completes the waiver and submits for approval.
The staff member the parent/guardian is requesting to be able to communicate with their child (outside of the traceable communication system) will receive an email to digitally sign off.
The request will then go to the superintendent or superintendent’s designee for approval for completeness.
Families and staff members/volunteers will be notified that Jessamine county Schools has received the wavier.