Electronic Communications

The bill sets clear guidelines and standards for how school personnel and volunteers can communicate with students electronically. The primary goal of the law is to reduce the risks associated with unmonitored or untraceable electronic communications. The law will ensure that communication is visible, secure, and accessible to school administrators and families.

Beginning June 27, 2025, all communication between school staff and volunteers and students will occur only through platforms approved by the Madison County Board of Education. These platforms are specifically designed to allow messages to be archived, reviewed, and documented, which supports transparency and accountability.

District employees and volunteers are permitted to communicate electronically with students who fall under the definition of "family members" as outlined by the law. Family members include parent, brother, sister, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, or grandparent. Parent is defined as parent, legal guardian, or other person or agency responsible for a student.

Madison County Schools will be utilizing the following Board-approved tools for communication:
1. District Email Account (@madison.kyschools.us)
2. Finalsite products, including Mobile Chat and Messages XR-E
3. Go Guardian Teacher
4. Google Classroom
5. Edgenuity
These tools are secure, user-friendly, and already familiar to many of our families and staff.

Students will receive official communication only through approved, traceable platforms.

Parents and guardians will also receive official communication through district approved communication tools, but are able to receive messages on other electronic platforms as well.

To comply with SB 181, the following are no longer permitted for school-related communication with students:
1. Personal text messaging
2. Non-district email messaging, including personal email accounts
3. Social media messaging or direct commenting or interaction such as “liking” a student’s post through social media
4. Any other non-traceable electronic communication application

Any enrolled students - even those who are already 18 years of age - are subject to this law. 

Even if communication is well-intention, any communication that falls outside these guidelines is not permitted under SB 181 unless a parent/legal guardian has provided written consent in the form of the Board approved form or by completing the online consent form.

A parent or legal guardian may provide written consent through the Board approved form for a specific individual employee or volunteer. This consent will give that individual permission to communicate electronically with the child through a designated non-district platform or platforms. Consent forms must be submitted in writing on the Board approved form and filed in the school office before any communication occurs. The forms can give consent to only one staff member or volunteer per form. Consent cannot be given to a broad group of employees or volunteers (ex. “The basketball coaching staff” or “the band staff”). Parents or legal guardians can revoke their consent at any time.

Parental consent must be given for any enrolled student, even if that student has already turned 18 years old.

The Board approved consent form and Board approved online consent form are the only acceptable forms of written consent for communication outside of the Board-approved options. The consent form can be found in the the district's Board Policies and Procedures. It is listed in the Board Procedures as 08.2324 AP.2.