Teaching and Licensing Bills
Prepared by: Keith Clock
Phone: 317-407-7885
E-mail: kclock@ista-in.org
Report created on April 26, 2024
 
HB1093EDUCATION MATTERS. (BEHNING R) Amends the membership and duties of the early learning advisory committee. Makes changes to the definition of "school resource officer". Provides that, after June 30, 2023, if a school corporation or charter school enters into a contract for a school resource officer, certain school corporations or charter schools must enter into a memorandum of understanding with the law enforcement agency that employs or appointed the law enforcement officer who will perform the duties of a school resource officer. Provides that certain parties are prohibited from incentivizing the enrollment, reenrollment, or continued attendance of a student or prospective student by offering or giving an item that has monetary value. Requires the Indiana charter school board (board) to appoint an executive director to carry out the duties and daily operations of the board. Establishes the executive director's duties. Provides that the board shall establish certain processes. Establishes the Indiana charter school board fund and provides that money in the fund is appropriated continuously for purposes of the board. Provides that the department of education (department) may grant an accomplished practitioner's license under certain conditions. Establishes: (1) a definition for "virtual student instructional day"; and (2) requirements for virtual student instructional days. Provides that a public school may conduct not more than three virtual student instructional days that do not meet the established requirements. Provides that a public school that does not comply with these provisions may not count a student instructional day toward the 180 day student instructional day requirement. Allows the department to waive these requirements. Provides that the instructional days tuition support distribution formula take into account only certain schools and grades within a school corporation if fewer than all the schools fail to conduct the minimum number of student instructional days. Authorizes the department to study and, if recommended, use machine scoring. Provides that, after a school receives statewide assessment score reports, a teacher of a student shall discuss the student's statewide assessment results with a parent at the next parent/teacher conference or, if the school does not hold parent/teacher conferences, send a notice to a parent of the student offering to meet with the parent to discuss the results. Provides that the department may include in a contract entered into or renewed after June 30, 2022, with a statewide assessment vendor a requirement that the vendor provide a summary of a student's statewide assessment results that meets certain requirements. Changes the department's review period for certain funds. Provides that the state board of education shall assign to a school or school corporation (including adult high schools) a "null" or "no letter grade" for the 2021-2022 school year. Repeals a provision concerning staffing of the board.
 Current Status:   3/15/2022 - Public Law 139
 Recent Status:   3/15/2022 - Signed by the Governor
3/15/2022 - Signed by the President of the Senate
 State Bill Page:   HB1093
 
HB1251VARIOUS EDUCATION MATTERS. (BEHNING R) Requires the department of education (department) to apply to the United States Department of Education for assessment flexibility. Requires the department to: (1) prepare a report that includes information and recommendations regarding establishing and implementing a parent-teacher compact program; and (2) submit the report to the legislative council not later than November 1, 2022. Provides that the state board of education (state board) shall, in consultation with postsecondary educational institutions and various businesses and industries, identify what skills or traits students need to be successful upon completion of high school. Requires the department to conduct a research study regarding academic standards. Requires the department to establish an online adjunct teacher portal. Provides that the governing body of a school corporation may issue an adjunct teacher permit to an individual who meets certain requirements. Establishes requirements for adjunct teacher employment agreements. Provides that the employment agreements are not subject to certain requirements regarding teacher salaries and school corporation local compensation plans. Provides that: (1) an adjunct teacher is not a school employee for purposes of collective bargaining; and (2) an employment agreement with an adjunct teacher is not subject to a collective bargaining agreement. Provides that the school employer shall discuss the use of adjunct teachers with the exclusive representative of certificated employees. Requires the governing body of a school corporation to announce any vacant adjunct teacher positions at meetings of the governing body. Amends the definition of "primary use of the building" for certain applicable high schools for purposes of occupancy classification requirements. Amends the definition of "appropriate vehicle". Provides that a special purpose bus or an appropriate vehicle may be used to transport students under certain circumstances. Provides that the state board may adopt emergency rules relating to school accreditation. Provides that the driver of a special purpose bus or an appropriate vehicle must pass an expanded criminal history check and an expanded child protection index check. Makes changes to visual acuity requirements for a bus driver. Establishes the Indiana student enrichment grant program (program). Provides that an enrichment student is eligible to establish an Indiana enrichment scholarship account. Provides that an enrichment student may receive $1,000 to be used for certain qualified expenses. Provides that the department shall administer the program. Provides that the program expires July 1, 2025.
 Current Status:   3/18/2022 - Public Law 168
 Recent Status:   3/18/2022 - Signed by the Governor
3/15/2022 - Signed by the President of the Senate
 State Bill Page:   HB1251
 
SB91TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS. (ROGERS L) Allows a teacher preparation program to report the program's admission practices, in accordance with the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) standards, for teacher preparation programs accredited by the AAQEP. Requires the department of education (department) to approve at least two accreditors that: (1) accredit teacher preparation programs; and (2) are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; to accredit teacher preparation programs for use in Indiana. Requires the department to annually report to the legislative council the percentage of teachers who complete a particular teacher preparation program who are teaching in Indiana: (1) five years; and (2) ten years; after completion of the particular teacher preparation program. Removes a requirement that each charter school and school corporation annually provide to the department: (1) the name of the teacher preparation program that recommended the initial license for each teacher employed by the school; and (2) the annual retention rate for teachers employed by the school.
 Current Status:   3/8/2022 - Public Law 41
 Recent Status:   3/8/2022 - Signed by the Governor
3/8/2022 - Signed by the President of the Senate
 State Bill Page:   SB91
 
SB115SCHOOL EMPLOYEE MISCONDUCT. (FREEMAN A) Provides that a policy adopted by a school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school with at least one employee addressing expanded criminal history checks or expanded child protection index checks (background checks) must prohibit the hiring of, continuing the employment of, contracting with, or continuing to contract with a person who has been convicted of an offense requiring license revocation, unless the conviction has been reversed, vacated, or set aside on appeal. (Current law provides that such a policy addressing background checks must prohibit the hiring of a person who has been convicted of an offense requiring license revocation, unless the conviction has been reversed, vacated, or set aside on appeal.) Provides that: (1) a school corporation; (2) a charter school; or (3) an entity: (A) with which a school corporation contracts for services; and (B) that has employees who are likely to have direct, ongoing contact with children within the scope of the employees' employment; shall consider whether information obtained from the background checks concerning an individual's conviction for certain offenses constitutes grounds to not employ, not contract with, or to terminate the employment of or contract with the individual. Provides that, in the event that an entity obtains information that an individual employed by the entity who works at a particular school corporation or charter school has been convicted of certain offenses, the entity shall immediately notify the school corporation or charter school of the employee's conviction. Makes changes to the list of offenses for which the department of education shall permanently revoke a teacher's license. Makes conforming changes.
 Current Status:   3/15/2022 - Public Law 125
 Recent Status:   3/15/2022 - Signed by the Governor
3/15/2022 - Signed by the President of the Senate
 State Bill Page:   SB115
 
SB123DYSLEXIA SCREENING AND INTERVENTION. (FREEMAN A) Provides that the dyslexia screening and intervention provisions apply to: (1) qualified districts or qualified high schools; and (2) innovation network schools. Provides that the following may not waive or suspend the dyslexia screening and intervention provisions: (1) A coalition of continuous improvement school districts. (2) State accredited public schools. Adds, for consistency, the dyslexia screening and intervention provisions to the list of statutes that apply to charter schools. (Under current law, the dyslexia screening and intervention requirements already apply to charter schools because of the language in the dyslexia screening and intervention provisions.)
 Current Status:   3/15/2022 - Public Law 126
 Recent Status:   3/15/2022 - Signed by the Governor
3/15/2022 - Signed by the President of the Senate
 State Bill Page:   SB123
 
SB356EDUCATION MATTERS. (ROGERS L) Makes changes to the requirements necessary to obtain an initial practitioner license for an individual who completes an alternative teacher certification program and changes regarding teaching special education under the license. Provides that, for school years beginning after June 30, 2022, a school corporation may provide a supplemental payment to a teacher in excess of the salary specified in the school corporation's compensation plan. (Current law allows a school corporation to provide supplemental payment to a teacher in excess of the salary specified in the school corporation's compensation plan if certain circumstances apply.)
 Current Status:   3/15/2022 - Public Law 134
 Recent Status:   3/15/2022 - Signed by the Governor
3/15/2022 - Signed by the President of the Senate
 State Bill Page:   SB356
 
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