Kentucky General Assembly

2026 Regular Session

March 6, 2026: Action Alert: Support Student Health in Kentucky

Two important bills impacting student physical activity are moving through the Kentucky General Assembly.

SB 111 would help protect daily recess and physical activity for students.
HB 654 is moving to the House floor, and KYSHAPE is advocating for a floor amendment to keep physical activity reporting in place.

🔗 Find and contact your legislator:

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/findyourlegislator/findyourlegislator.html

Members are encouraged to stay informed and engaged as these conversations continue during the legislative session. The following are two bills that KYSHAPE has issued official position statements on during the current session.

SB 111 – Recess Education Policy: Official Position Statement

March 6, 2026: Senate Bill 111, which focuses on protecting and promoting daily recess and physical activity for students, has been assigned to the Senate Education Committee.

KYSHAPE supports this legislation and believes it represents an important step toward improving student health and learning readiness across Kentucky.

Our next step is to encourage members of the Senate Education Committee to call the bill for a vote in committee, allowing it to move forward for consideration by the full Senate.

HB 654 – Physical Activity Reporting

March 6, 2026: House Bill 654 has passed out of committee in the House and is now expected to be considered on the full House floor.

As currently written, the bill would remove existing physical activity reporting requirements. KYSHAPE believes maintaining this reporting is important for ensuring that schools continue to prioritize student movement and wellness.

As the bill moves to the House floor, KYSHAPE will be advocating for a floor amendment that would retain the current physical activity reporting requirements rather than removing them.

Maintaining this reporting helps ensure that policymakers, educators, and communities have meaningful data about student access to physical activity across the Commonwealth.

2025 Regular Session Record

Read our advocacy success message for the 2025 Kentucky Legislative Session here: https://kyshape.org/advocacy-success-for-pe/

Below are links to our advocacy pages from the 2025 session:

Oppose SB 68

Oppose HB 301

Click either image above to read the KYSHAPE Position Statement

Who’s My Legislator

Contact My Legislator

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State and Federal Requirements for Local School Wellness Policies:

KY Wellness Policy Booklet

All elementary and secondary school students in Kentucky are to receive physical education and health education instruction in accordance with the Kentucky Academic Standards and meeting the minimum unit requirements for high school graduation set forth in 704 KAR 003:305.

Local boards of education and school-based decision-making councils determine the curriculum to be used for teaching the Kentucky Academic Standards, the hiring of qualified personnel and the allocation of instructional time. More information about school-based decision-making councils can be found here.

Section 11 of KRS 160.345 addresses the role of SBDM councils for school wellness policy including the requirement that K-5 schools have a plan for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. KRS 158.856 requires that all school districts annual complete a nutrition and physical activity assessment.

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY for KRS 158.856/KRS 160.3455 are as follows:

· Post a report to the district website about the nutrition and physical activity environments for schools within the district at least 60 days prior to January 31.

· Discussion of the findings of the nutrition report and physical activity report by each local board and the board seeking public comments during a publicly advertised special board meeting or at the next regularly scheduled board meeting following the release of the nutrition and physical activity reports.

· By January 31 of each year, the local board of education holding an advertised public forum to present a plan to improve school nutrition and physical activities in the school district.

· By May 1 of each year, each school district compiling a summary of findings and recommendations and submitting the summary to the KBE.

Advocacy Resources: