Three major house bills are on the move through the Indiana Statehouse, mostly pertaining to Indiana schools. While none of them have passed yet and are still in the process of being reviewed and amended, the effects these laws could have are imperative to Indiana as a whole.
Senate Bill 76 touches on immigration matters with state level governments and schools, or more specifically, ICE. This bill would require all Indiana schools and public universities to cooperate with ICE in all their endeavors, otherwise, they will be faced with a hefty fine of $10,000. The bill has already been passed through the House with a vote of 61-28, and at the time of writing, it’s currently pending a second review by the Senate after receiving House amendments. With the feedback ICE has already been receiving within the media, this decision could only serve to portray them as totalitarians looking for power. There are several of our own Indiana schools constantly protesting or advocating for protest against ICE, and yet ICE still tries to force itself into a position of superiority over state governments. Instead of ICE seeing positive effects, this risks just being seen as a form of encroachment, worsening their media image.
There’s also Senate Bill 88, which would require schools to teach the concept of “good citizenship”. To elaborate, this bill would require schools to educate the importance of obtaining a high school diploma, securing full-time employment, and waiting until marriage to have children. While waiting until marriage to have children is generally perceived as a good thing and a widely necessary requirement within religions, is it truly okay to force that ideology upon students? Not everyone feels ready for marriage, yet they would still prefer to have children. Enforcing this ideology of “no children outside of wedlock” could seem derogatory towards those who don’t follow this and could be seen as a form of government overreach in terms of controlling the youth. This isn’t to say young adults should have children outside of wedlock, but it’s a question of whether or not it’s the government’s place and responsibility to decide the blueprint for what makes a “good citizen”.
Additionally, this bill would force Indiana universities to require acceptance of the Classic Learning Test (CLT) exam for student admission. The Classic Learning Test is a 2-hour college entrance exam, similar to the SAT and ACT. The test features three-sections of 40 questions each focusing on either verbal reasoning, grammar & writing, and quantitative reasoning. Similarly to critique against the SAT and ACT, the CLT has been criticized for lack of predictive accuracy in terms of college success, sparking confusion as to why it’d be needed in the first place.
Lastly, there’s House Bill 1423, which was passed and signed into law. It encompasses several things regarding the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC), safe transportation to schools, and educational buildings. However, the main area of discussion is the appointment of school board members. HB 1423 says that Indianapolis Public Schools will shift from elected school board members to mayoral-appointed ones. Elected members of a school board could be field-qualified parents, local residents, business professionals, educators, etc. Some would argue that this is a good thing, however, on the other hand, the argument can be made that this decision reduces community-driven involvement. HB 1423 has been compared to a past attempted bill in South Bend, Senate Bill 248, which was also held in heavy opposition by the community for the exact reason HB 1423 received backlash.
“Public schools are funded by the public, serve the public, and should be governed by representatives chosen by the public,” in the words of Dr. Jeanette McCullough, the president of South Bend Community School Corporation.
