As Kentucky encounters untold numbers of students going undiagnosed with dyslexia, a pre-filed bill from state Rep. John “Bam” Carney, R-Campbellsville, is aiming to stop them from slipping through the cracks.

Under Bill Request 326, local school boards would be required to implement policies requiring a program to identify and support dyslexic students between kindergarten and the third grade.

Additionally, the state’s teacher-training programs would have to include instruction on dyslexia by the 2020-21 academic year.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis supports the provision.

On Friday, when his department unveiled a new dyslexia toolkit for educators, Lewis said adequate teacher training is the “next frontier” to better support “untold numbers” of dyslexic students.

“Next steps are going to have to be through taking a systematic look at pre-service teacher preparation and ensuring that as our educators leave preparation programs that they leave with at least a foundational understanding and capacity to be able to serve kids,” Lewis said during a webinar announcing the toolkit.

Carney’s legislation would revise House Bill 187, which passed into law last year with sponsorship from state Rep. Addia Wuchner, who has since retired.

HB 187, among other provisions, required the state Department of Education to develop a dyslexia toolkit with information on common characteristics and the best instructional practices for educators.

In the webinar, Lewis noted that dyslexia doesn’t discriminate based on child’s intellectual ability. It affects gifted and average students alike.

“If we’re able to identify those characteristics and intervene early, we can provide kids with tools, with strategies to be able to function even with dyslexia,” Lewis said.

Along with a requirement to identify and support their youngest dyslexic students, BR 326 would require school districts to do outreach to parents and monitor student progress.

Districts would also have to use a state reporting tool each year to track their population of dyslexic students between kindergarten and the third grade, how students are being evaluated and how many students are receiving support.

However, it’s not the only legislation lawmakers are advancing before the start of this year’s session on Tuesday.

Bill Request 47 from Rep. Regina Huff, R-Williamsburg, would allow school districts to accept monetary donations to support family resource and youth services centers and require the money be set aside strictly for that purpose.

The school-based centers are clearinghouses for myriad student support services, such as help with food, clothing and school supplies.

Amy Carter, a counselor at the Bowling Green Independent School District with experience running a family resource center, welcomes the legislation.

“That would help with like immediate needs,” she said, adding it could help with buying extra coats around Christmas or groceries for families in need.

Lawmakers have also proposed legislation that would include e-cigarettes in a school ban on tobacco products.

It’s a policy that the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Kentucky Youth Advocates have called for in response to the rise of vaping among teens.

“I think it’s a case where policies have not kept pace with reality,” Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, told the Daily News last month.

– Follow education reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter @BGDN_edbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.