State Bills H140 and H1134

To see House Bills 1040 and 1134 in depth, scan the QR Code to go to the Indiana General Assembly website. Education in legislation

Indiana General Assembly propose new curriculum bills

The Indiana General Assembly has started the 2022 session with several bills related to education. Some of the bills, like Senate Bill 167, have gained nationwide attention, and a few teachers have spoken out against it. Although Senate Bill 167 is no longer moving forward, House Bills 1040 and 1134, which could affect what teachers can teach in the classroom, are still in consideration. “I definitely think that more of my classmates should be aware [of HB 1040 and 1134], seeing as we would be the ones most directly affected,” senior Abbie Kilgore said. “It would be very powerful if we could all come together and say that we hope that our representatives would vote no.” If passed, House Bill 1134 would allow parents to opt their children out of “certain educational activities and curricular materials,” so parents would have more control over what their children can learn in the classroom. “I think this bill is definitely harmful because history shows that there are a lot of sensitive topics that we have to learn so we don’t repeat them,” Kilgore said. “If these bills are passed, you can’t learn those things, and teachers can actually get penalized for teaching the way they are teaching.” If some parents do choose to opt their children out of certain educational activities, House Bill 1134 provides that those students should “receive instruction during the time period during which the student has opted out.” However, according to sophomore Hannah Brown, this could affect other students. “I feel like it will just disrupt the classroom as a whole if certain students are leaving during certain lessons and going and having their own lesson,” Brown said. “It might make projects harder and tests harder in general.” Although the bills seek to increase parent involvement in schools, Brown believes it could be dysfunctional. “As I think parents should be involved in what students are learning, at the same time, you can’t pick apart anything and everything that a teacher is saying,” Brown said. “There’s always going to be something that some person doesn’t like, and with that, there’s always going to be different students learning different things.” House Bill 1040 would also require teachers to post all learning materials for the following school year by June 30, 2022. According to Brown, whose mom is a teacher, this requirement could be difficult to meet. “Teachers already work really hard to just have the lessons the day before, so it would be almost impossible,” Brown said. “I think there would be lots of teachers, even more so [than now], quitting.” In addition to the portions of the house bills that pertain to classroom instruction, there are also parts that pertain to COVID-19 protocols in schools. For example, in House Bill 1040, parents would be given the option to opt their children out of face mask requirements. “There are parents who think that they know what’s best for their kid, and in reality they don’t,” junior Naomi Rugh said. “Parents put their kids, or other kids, in danger because they think they know what’s right.” House Bill 1040 also states that schools “may not require” students to quarantine

The front cover of Indiana House Bill 1040. The bill has not been passed in the house as of Feb. 7. Photo courtesy of Indiana General Assembly. Abby Miller milleabi002@hsestudents.org

against COVID-19, if they are asymptomatic. For Kilgore, who has immunocompromised family members, this directly affects her. “I know that I do as much as I can with masking and stuff like that, but if an asymptomatic person is still sitting at your lunch table, and your masks are off and you’re eating, it can still be detrimental to certain families,” Kilgore said. “I would really hope that they [Indiana lawmakers] would rethink that specific part of the bill.” Indiana House Bill 1040 was referred to the committee on education on Jan. 4, and so far, no other action has taken place. As for Indiana House Bill 1134, it was passed in the house on Jan. 26, and on Feb. 1, it was referred to the committee on Education and Career development in the Indiana senate. 1

"As I think parents should be involved in what students are learning, at the same time, you can't pick apart anything and everything that a teacher is saying," Brown said.

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1. The front cover of Indiana House Bill 1134. The bill is currently waiting to be passed in the Senate. Photo courtesy of Indiana General Assembly. 2. The Indiana state flag. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.