After this week, the Senate will consider House bills while the House works on Senate priorities. Some of the final bills attracted lengthy discussion, such as a proposal to provide a tax break for certain child care centers, while others were more light-hearted, like one striking regulations for lemonade stands.... Read More
In Indiana, it’s rare for school districts to ban books from libraries and classrooms. Since 2020, at least six districts banned books, two moved books to other libraries and 17 received complaints, according to an investigation by the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism and the Indiana Capital Chronicle. ... Read More
Hoosier lawmakers want to guarantee school counselors have more time to provide services for students that are increasingly in demand while spending less time filling in elsewhere, like as substitute teachers or on lunch and recess duty.... Read More
House Bill 1183, authored by Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer, would prohibit purchasers from “adversarial countries” from owning or leasing Hoosier farmland. ... Read More
Rogers’ bill further requires IDOE to adopt a universal assessment to better identify and intervene with struggling students before third grade.... Read More
The clapback legislation, Senate Bill 234, removes a Hoosier governor’s ability to extend a state of disaster emergency after 30 days — or declare a new emergency — unless it is “wholly unrelated” to the first one. A longer disaster declaration would require approval from the General Assembly.... Read More
Small and rural school officials — longtime critics of the chamber’s lobby for more school consolidation — are pushing back against the new study and the potential for Indiana policies that would require small schools to increase their student population.... Read More
A bill to require earlier interventions for students struggling with literacy is top-of-list for Indiana Senate Republicans, who unveiled the 2024 agenda Thursday morning.... Read More
The new measure, House Bill 1001, authored by Rep. Chuck Goodrich, R-Noblesville, primarily seeks to allow money from the 21st Century Scholars program and Frank O’Bannon grants to be used by high school graduates for training by an approved intermediary, employer or labor organization — rather than for education costs at a college or university.... Read More
As debate heats up among Indiana policymakers over how to address Indiana’s literacy “crisis,” a new statewide dashboard gives a more detailed look at where additional reading supports are needed most. State education officials said the new tool will help...... Read More
