Open Records and Open Meetings
Kentucky's laws on open records and open meetings affect every public official and every public agency, including school districts. The Kentucky Office of the Attorney General helps local school officials navigate the requirements of those laws, and their Web site should be helpful to parents who could benefit from better understanding their rights to attend meetings and request information from schools and school districts.
The Open Meetings Act (KRS 61.800 through 61.850) establishes a right of access to public meetings, which include local school board and school council meetings. The law requires that all gatherings of a quorum of the members of a public agency where public business is discussed or action is taken must be public meetings. Members of the public may attend those meetings and cannot be required to identify themselves in order to attend.
The Open Records Act (KRS 61.870 through 61.884) establishes a right of access to public records, which include documents, recordings, photographs, diskettes or other records that are prepared, owned, used, in the possession of or retained by a public agency. All public records, no matter their medium, must be open for inspection unless they are exempted by statute.
The Kentucky Office of the Attorney General has developed a Web site (http://www.ag.ky.gov/oromalert) with information about open records and open meetings, along with explanations of the responsibilities of public officials in those matters. This site provides details and resources for all public officials - including those in local school districts - to help them prepare for any legal questions that may arise from the laws.
Byrd Scholarships
Ninety-one recent Kentucky high school graduates have been awarded Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarships to help pay for their college education. This scholarship award is $1,500 a year.
The Byrd Scholarship is a federally funded program, named for longtime U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).
KHEAA and its sister agency, The Student Loan People, administer scholarship, grant, low-cost loan, savings and work-study programs to help Kentuckians pay for college. One program is the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), which allows students to earn money for college by making good grades in high school. KEES is funded by Kentucky Lottery proceeds.
The agencies also provide free college planning and financial aid information to students, parents and counselors.
To learn how to plan and prepare for higher education, visit www.GoHigherKY.org. For information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com. For information about student loans, visit www.studentloanpeople.com.
American History Books
Have your children read any good books about American history lately? Check out the "Becoming American" poster from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This poster of the Endowment's "We the People Bookshelf" contains a list of 15 classic books that tell personal stories from American history and literature. Divided into four grade groups, this list contains books for children of all ages. For your free copy, call toll-free 1 (888) 878-3256 and ask for Item 506N or visit www.pueblo.gsa.gov to place your order online. To view the list of 15 classic books, visit www.neh.gov/wtp/bookshelf/index.html.
Plan to attend the Kentucky State Fair
Visit the Kentucky State Fair August 17-27 in Louisville. A schedule of events is available online. www.kystatefair.org.
Prepare Your Child For School
The National Education Association (NEA) has developed a guide "A Parent's Guide to Preparing Your Child for School," designed to provide parents with information they can use to prepare their child to enter school. To download a copy of the free guide, visit www.nea.org/parents/preparechild.html?mode=print.