LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Auditor Allison Ball released a more than 500-page special examination into the Kentucky Department of Education late Tuesday night.
The lengthy review addressed everything from $250 million in lapsed SEEK funds to DEI efforts and tracking student success.
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“This is going to be extremely helpful for Kentucky. Help Kentucky get on the right path,” Auditor Ball told WKYT Wednesday.
The exam also looked at how the KDE and KHSAA handle Title IX. Auditor Ball says they are not mitigating the risk of sexual harassment and abuse of student-athletes.
“With the restrictions that are in place in what we really have governance over, which are the schools giving adequate athletic opportunities, etc. We’re doing Yeoman’s work,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett.
However, Commissioner Tackett says the KHSAA is limited in what it can do on its own.
Implementing Auditor Ball’s recommendations is something he says will take the work of not just the KHSAA but also the legislature and the KDE.
Auditor Ball’s exam notes that the KHSAA does not have a system for tracking Title IX and related complaints.
“Without a system in place to consistently document, review, and investigate complaints… it is difficult to determine if proper procedure is followed and all complaints are addressed,” she writes.
Ball says this “presents a risk to transparency,” ” may result in missed problems, opportunities, and observations,” and may “diminish KHSAA’s effectiveness in overseeing Title IX.”
“We certainly can create a registry. But in all honesty, it’s a registry of virtually zero occurrences. But we don’t mind at all, being a source for people,” said Tackett.
Tackett says many forks in the road must be defined before jumping into building a system for complaints.
“The question begs is, are we involved just because it’s somebody with the title of coach, when what they do is totally outside of their coaching. That’s the clarity that’s got to be made,” said Tackett.
The KHSAA has approximately 14,000 coaches, and according to Tackett, more than half of them are not full-time school employees.
The Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness tracks the abuse of minors by certified teachers. However, as the Auditor notes, abuse by classified staff and volunteers who coach sports falls outside their jurisdiction. She says these personnel matters are handled at the school district level.
“If these accusations are coming about school employees and we don’t have authority over school employees, we obviously are going to need some help,” said Tackett.
Tackett also raises the question of whether the issue could lie within the hiring process at the local level.
“Is the problem in the vetting of people? Are we letting people get in that shouldn’t?” asked Tackett. “That’s going to be our challenge when you’re dealing with that big a number of people and the fact that we’re not their employer. But we’re right at the table with whatever we can do.”
Commissioner Tackett says they’ll have to work with KDE and the legislature to determine the best plan moving forward.
Auditor Ball also recommended that the KHSAA resume providing annual reports to the KDE. The practice ceased during the pandemic and has not resumed.
Commissioner Tackett says they are open to providing these reports again and had already considered doing so before the auditor’s examination.
To read Auditor Ball’s full examination, click here.
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