KENTUCKY —  Jacqueline Coleman, D-Ky., is the 58th Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and she is the first active educator since former Gov. Martha Layne Collins. 

During this In Focus Kentucky segment, Coleman provides comments on a wide range of issues and topics, including the implementation of Senate Bill 150, which took effect on June 28.

SB 150 bans gender-affirming care for anyone under 18, bans schools from teaching anything about gender expression, sexual orientation or gender identity, and allows teachers to ignore a student’s preferred pronouns.

“So this has been a really, very contentious issue, of course, not just in Kentucky, but across the country. And as we watched Senate Bill 150 unfold and get passed into law, I think a lot of Kentuckians recognize, first of all, how cruel it is to really marginalize an already marginalized set of young people. But what’s really concerning to folks that I continue to hear across the state, is the egregious government overreach of this bill. To think that and in legislation, politicians in Frankfort think they can dictate the words that teachers say, and the decisions that parents make. It absolutely blows my mind not just as a teacher, but also as a parent. And that government overreach, I think they’ve overplayed their hand. And I think you’re gonna continue to see that backlash as we continue to see how this plays out in the court system,” said Coleman.

On April 17, the Kentucky Department of Education released guidance for districts on how to deal with several new education laws. The largest section of the nine-page document centers on Senate Bill 150. 

“The Department of Education’s job is to interpret the words in the bills that are sent to them. And the laws that are sent to them and that’s exactly what they’ve done. If they took a personal privilege on another bill and decided they were going to interpret one word a different way because it fit what they wanted it to be, the legislature would absolutely be up in arms, and rightfully so,” Coleman shared.

“And so for the legislature to now say, well, you know what we meant. This is the result of, again, a very sewer bill-like situation where they are rushing these issues that are controversial, from the bill to a law as quickly as they possibly can, which not only keeps it from having it from the public. But evidently it also keeps them from being able to proofread the work that they’ve done. And so this is not an issue to be blamed on the Department of Education. They are doing their job. This is an issue that if the legislature is unhappy with, when they come back into session, they can remedy that, but they shouldn’t place blame anywhere but at their own feet,” explained Coleman.

Back in May 2023, Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner Jason Glass was identified as a finalist to become superintendent of a school district in Maryland. Coleman weighed in on if she expects him to continue serving as commissioner, if Andy Beshear is re-elected as governor this fall.

“Commissioner Glass is a social studies teacher from Brandenburg, you know, and the other side, in an attempt to really divide, to conquer in the public school arena, has really created a target for Dr. Glass’ back,” she said.

“What I would say is any attack on one educator is an attack on us all. And as I think about all the challenges that we’re faced with education right now, and I think about the way that not just Commissioner Glass but everybody in leadership and education across Kentucky is really trying to get it right for our students. When we demonize the folks that are standing in front of our classroom, that support our kids, that are our neighbors that we go to church with, we’re creating very dangerous atmosphere and to have politicians in Frankfort continue to stoke those claims is not only unfair, but it’s really irresponsible,” added Coleman.

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