The Indiana State 2022 legislative sessions begins Tuesday and runs through mid-March. Here are education bills that will be introduced in the Senate.

Senate Bill #83  Author Sen. Jean Leising  –  Meetings of School boards and charter schools

Meetings of school boards and charter schools. Requires the governing body of a school corporation or charter school (governing body) to allow public comment at meetings. Allows a governing body to conduct an electronic meeting (other than an executive session) only in the following circumstances: (1) The charter school or school within the school corporation is closed because of an outbreak of communicable disease not more than five days before the meeting. (2) The school or schools have not reopened for in-person classroom instruction. (3) Public comment is allowed during the meeting. (Current law allows a governing body to conduct an electronic meeting if: (1) at least 50% of the members are physically present; or (2) a state or local disaster emergency is declared.)

http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/senate/83

Senate Bill #93  Author  Mike Bohacek  –  School disannexation

School corporation disannexation.  Established a process to disannex a township from an exiting school corporation and annex the township to an adjacent school corporation.

http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/senate/93

Senate Bill # 144  Author  Scott Baldwin, Sen. Jeff Raatz, Sen. Brian Buchanan  –  School Board Elections

School board elections. Provides that a candidate for election to the governing body of a school corporation may not be any of the following: (1) A teacher employed by the school corporation. (2) A member, an employee, or a contractor of a labor organization with which the school corporation engages in collective bargaining. Provides that candidates for election to the governing body of a school corporation may request that the candidate’s affiliation with a major political party be indicated with the candidate’s name on the general election ballot. Provides that, beginning with the 2022 general election, all members of the governing body of a school corporation must be elected, eliminating the appointment of members of the governing body. Changes population parameters to reflect the population count determined under the 2020 decennial census.

http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/senate/144#digest-heading

Senate Bill #167 Author(s)  Sen. Scott Baldwin, Sen. Jeff Raatz, Sen. Travis Holdman  –  Education Matters

Education matters. Defines a “qualified school”. Requires each qualified school to post educational activities and curricular materials on the school’s Internet web site. Provides that public records that are available on a qualified school’s Internet web site shall be excepted from public record requests for individuals that have access to the school’s Internet web site at the discretion of the qualified school. Requires the school corporation or qualified school to add functionality that allows parents of students in the school corporation to opt in to or opt out of certain educational activities and curricular materials under certain conditions. Provides that the governing body of a school corporation shall create a curricular materials advisory committee (committee) comprised of parents, teachers, administrators, and community members. Requires the committee to submit recommendations regarding curricular materials and educational activities to the governing body of a school corporation. Provides parameters for the composition of the committee, the appointment of committee members, and the appointment of a committee chairperson. Requires the governing body to create educational activities and curricular materials review, discussion, and recommendation procedures for the committee. Provides that the committee shall meet a certain number of times annually. Provides that a state agency, state educational institution, school corporation, or qualified school or an employee of the state agency, state educational institution, school corporation, or qualified school acting in an official capacity may not include or promote certain concepts as part of a course of instruction or in a curriculum or direct or otherwise compel a school employee or student to adhere to certain tenets relating to the individual’s sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or political affiliation. Provides that a state agency, school corporation, qualified school, or state educational institution or an employee of the state agency, school corporation, qualified school, or state educational institution acting in an official capacity may not require an employee of the school corporation, qualified school, or state educational institution to engage in training, orientation, or therapy that presents any form of racial or sex stereotyping or blame on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or political affiliation. Provides that a student shall not be required to participate in a personal analysis, an evaluation, or a survey that reveals or attempts to affect the student’s attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs, or feelings without parental consent. Provides that, if a school corporation or qualified school uses a third party vendor in providing a personal analysis, evaluation, or survey that reveals, identifies, collects, maintains or attempts to affect a student’s attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs, or feelings, the third party vendor and the school corporation or qualified school may not collect or maintain the responses to or results of the analysis, evaluation, or survey in a manner that would identify the responses or results of an individual student. Provides that before a school corporation or qualified school may provide or administer certain mental, social-emotional, or psychological services to a student, the school must provide the parent of the student or the student, if the student is an adult or an emancipated minor, with a written request for consent to provide or administer certain mental, social-emotional, or psychological services. Makes changes to the definition of “sexually explicit” for the purpose of trade regulation. Removes schools and certain public libraries from the list of entities eligible for a specified defense to criminal prosecutions alleging: (1) the dissemination of material harmful to minors; or (2) a performance harmful to minors. Adds colleges and universities to the entities eligible for a specified defense to criminal prosecutions alleging: (1) the dissemination of material harmful to minors; or (2) a performance harmful to minors.

http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/senate/167#digest-heading