🚨 KENTUCKY ALERT
HB 253 was introduced as a bipartisan reading and language arts bill. That is what Kentucky lawmakers filed, and that is what the bill is officially titled.
Now the Kentucky Legislature’s own record shows “moral instruction” attached to HB 253 by Senate floor amendment.
So let’s be clear about what happened here:
A bipartisan reading bill is now being used as the vehicle for mandated moral instruction instead of that policy being introduced and debated openly on its own.
And that is exactly why this matters.
“Moral instruction” is the exact legal category that allows released-time religious programs like LifeWise Academy to operate during the school day.
If it is such a good idea, why not file it honestly?
Why not defend it publicly?
Why attach it to a reading bill instead?
HB 253 was supposed to be about reading.
Kentucky families deserve to know why it is now about something else.
We have seen this kind of strategy before. In Ohio, HB 8 — the so-called Parents’ Bill of Rights — also ended up including mandated released time courses in religious instruction.
If it couldn’t pass on its own, that should tell you everything.
Official bill page:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb253.html?
**You can see the amendment yourself on the official Kentucky Legislature page under HB 253 amendments.
Direct PDF of the bill text:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb253/bill.pdf?
What people are saying:
- Secular Education Association: WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Read HB 253:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb253.htmlRead the original bill before amendments:
Find your Kentucky legislator:
https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/default.aspxTell them:
HB 253 should remain a reading bill.
If lawmakers want to debate “moral instruction,” they should introduce it honestly and allow full public debate.Share this post. These amendments move fast when nobody is watching.
- Facebook User: Is this bill likely to pass section 51 KY constitution?
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User Good question. Section 51 of the Kentucky Constitution requires bills to address a single subject reflected in the title. Whether this amendment raises concerns depends on whether “moral instruction” is considered part of general education policy or a separate subject that should have been introduced independently. Courts often give legislatures flexibility if they can argue the topics are related. What we can say is that adding significant policy changes through floor amendments instead of standalone debate reduces transparency, which is why these changes deserve close public review.
- Facebook User: Just like Facebook User Facebook User slipping unrelated items into bills in the final hour!🤬
- Facebook User: Cult like attitude
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