KENTUCKY — ​Our state of Kentucky has a total of 171 school districts and more than 1400 schools.

Of the 171 districts, there are 120 school districts and 51 are independent districts, meaning they are run by local municipalities.

During this week's In Focus Kentucky program, we’re checking in on how the return to in-person classes are going for several school districts, as many are still working to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while other Kentucky school districts are still being impacted by recent disasters and are calling for funding stability.

Kentucky State Senator Max Wise (R-Campbellsville) is the chair of the Senate standing committee on Education.

And during this year’s 2022 General Assembly session, multiple bills dealing with education-related issues became state law or mandates and conversations continued around 2019's School Safety and Resiliency Act, commonly known as Senate Bill 1 or SB1.

"We traveled across the Commonwealth and we listened. We listened to not just law enforcement professionals but mental health professionals, superintendents, principals, most importantly students, and then legislators came together to develop a core piece of policy. We had 15 other states across the U.S. that model the legislation we've done," said Wise.

The act affected multiple statutes regarding school safety and student resiliency. These statutes impact education and many agencies that work with districts and schools. The new roles of District School Safety Coordinator and State School Security Marshal are established, along with the implementation of various trainings and responsibilities related to these roles. School Resource Officers (SROs) are to be assigned to each school, funding permitting. Other requirements regarding school building access, suicide prevention training, active shooter training, trauma-informed approaches to education, school counselors, student-involved trauma, terroristic threatening and an anonymous reporting tool are also outlined in the legislstion.

"I think that piece of legislation, built the framework that took both side approach that being kind of a harping approach of school resource officers, but also sub that heartfelt approach of mental health aspects so far, I think it was a piece of legislation that I know I'm proud of, and I think the colleagues in the legislature at the time and even today are proud to cast your vote," explains Wise.

You can watch the full In Focus segment in the player above.