Kentucky

In addition to the ban on student phone use — which is part of a legislative trend that is sweeping states across the country — Kentucky also ushered in limits on teacher-student communications.

In response to problems with inappropriate contact, a new law in Kentucky requires school districts to designate a traceable communications tool as the exclusive means by which employees may reach out to students.

The new Kentucky CIO Jim Barnhart, a veteran tech leader, steps into the role with critical disaster recovery experience as the state faces recent tornado devastation.

The city piloted a tool with artificial intelligence to gather more than 1 million responses from residents in just 33 days. Their feedback will help shape the direction of a 25-year strategic vision project.

After previously mandating in-person learning, Kentucky lawmakers came to the defense of a growing virtual academy that had low test scores and did not follow state guidelines for class sizes and standardized testing.

The Kentucky Board of Education moved to limit enrollment in virtual schools in light of academic underperformance, but lawmakers blocked the measure and proposed to stop enrollment restrictions on virtual schools until 2028.

The state’s chief information officer will serve through Dec. 31, the state said in announcing her retirement. Gov. Andy Beshear picked her to lead the Commonwealth Office of Technology at the start of his first term.

At least 18 Kentucky school districts canceled in-person classes Tuesday due to winter weather, with at least six of those districts canceling school altogether.

A Gun Violence Task Force, which included council members, community members, police and fire, has met for more than a year to determine how to better address gun violence in Fayette County.

These days, the Internet is rife with AI-generated images of fake celebrity endorsements and Facebook-spawned misinformation accusing immigrants in an Ohio town of eating their neighbors’ pets.

Plus, a K-12 digital equity framework gets released, Kentucky launches a new broadband portal, two additional states get their BEAD funding proposals approved, and more.

A new AI-powered tool called JusticeText — exclusive to public defenders — has emerged, offering a boost in analyzing case evidence efficiently to level the playing field and ensure fair defense.

Effective this month, new legislation will allow for self-driving cars to hit Kentucky roads and be regulated by state government, but some say it will be a while before people see the vehicles in public.

Owensboro, Ky., elected officials were largely in agreement with decisions by the city’s police and fire departments to stop broadcasting radio transmissions over publicly accessible radio channels.

State Sen. Adrienne Southworth said schools should balance teacher-student interaction with digital instruction. Her bill also calls for regulation of third-party ed-tech tools that access student data.

State Sen. Reginald Thomas sponsored a bill that would assign the Kentucky Department of Education to set guidelines for AI use in schools, monitor its impact, and train teachers, administrators and school board members.

In Kentucky courts, the video recording is the official record with no written transcript. CIO Charles Byers discusses what led to this approach and the features vital to meeting the court's needs.

U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers announced a $30.7 million grant to expand broadband services across the most rural parts of the state. Rogers said the infrastructure is a necessary part of building Kentucky’s answer to Silicon Valley.