July 1 brings us to the middle of the year and is also when new laws go into effect. Although Indiana citizens should be aware of all laws, educators should pay close attention to laws that impact education or children.
Teacher Union Dues (Senate Enrolled Act 251) – This law will not go into effect on July 1 after U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker blocked the law due to a lawsuit being filed. Had the law gone into effect, teachers would have to enroll in the teacher union annually and complete other steps to be a member of the union.
School Buildings (Senate Enrolled Act 358) – This law gives the attorney general the authority to investigate school corporations that do not comply with the law that makes vacant school buildings available to a charter school or state educational institutions for $1.
Internet (Senate Enrolled Act 414) – By January 1, 2022, school corporations and public charter schools must have an Internet use policy, and the policy must be published on the school corporations’ or public charter school’s website. Technological devices owned by schools should also have a filter to block harmful materials for minors.
At-Risk Students (Senate Enrolled Act 414) – IDOE has permission to adopt and provide schools with actionable data through an early warning system that would identify at-risk students as early as the elementary grades.
School Funding & Teacher Pay (House Enrolled Act 1001) – The Indiana General Assembly allocated over one billion dollars of extra funding for K-12 education. There is also information included about raising teacher pay to a minimum of $40,000. The IDOE has provided additional guidance about teacher pay requirements.
Civics Education (House Enrolled Act 1384) – The IDOE & the State Board of Education must establish standards for civics education by July 1, 2022. Beginning the 2022-2023 school year, students at public schools or accredited nonpublic schools must complete one semester of civics education during either 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.
If educators are interested in sharing a fun fact about the state, they can share that Indiana now has an official snack.
Official Indiana Snack (Senate Enrolled Act 97) – Popcorn grown in Indiana is now the official state snack.
Click here to learn about the other laws going into effect on July 1.