Kenton County officials say safety ‘strong,’ expand weekly SEL lessons districtwide

Kenton County School District leaders told attendees at the district’s annual report that the “state of safety and well-being in the Kenton County School District is strong,” and said the district will expand classroom social-emotional learning (SEL) walks to all grades next year.

A presenter told the meeting that SEL is a district expectation and that classrooms must provide at least 30 minutes of SEL instruction each week. Assistant Superintendent Leslie Smith said the district conducted 75 SEL observations this year and found “a 100% of our classrooms demonstrated use of SEL vocabulary” and most classrooms were on pace with pacing guides. Smith also identified growth areas, including increasing visual supports and maintaining a 5-to-1 positive-to-redirection ratio.

Officials linked SEL work to discipline and threat data. Smith said suspension rates fell 13% from the previous year and 37% over two years, restorative practices were used in 28% of referrals (a 15-point increase), and the district saw a 40% decrease this year in primary-level threat incidents after targeted interventions. The presentation also noted 21% of office referrals were related to a new state law prohibiting student cell-phone use, a contributing factor that declined over the year.

District leaders said next steps include rolling SEL classroom observation walks out across kindergarten through 12th grade, providing differentiated support based on referral and threat-assessment data, and expanding progress-monitoring tools to align interventions with student needs.