Requires each high school to: (1) beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, offer the Indiana college core (college core); or (2) not later than October 1, 2024, submit a plan or report that meets certain requirements to the commission for higher education (commission). Provides that: (1) a student who successfully completes an eligible course under the college core is entitled to secondary credit toward graduation requirements; and (2) the student's transcripts must reflect the secondary credit. Establishes the reverse transfer program for community college associate degrees. Requires each state educational institution (institution) to prepare and submit a report to the commission that includes information regarding a determination by the institution of the feasibility and advisability of establishing and conferring associate degrees to certain students. Establishes certain requirements for the commission regarding the reports. Requires each institution that offers baccalaureate degrees to establish a policy to review each of the institution's four year baccalaureate degree program offerings to determine the feasibility of providing each in a specifically structured manner to allow a full-time student to complete the baccalaureate degree within three years. Requires, not later than July 1, 2025, each institution to offer at least one baccalaureate degree program specifically structured to allow a full-time student to complete the baccalaureate degree within three years. Requires an institution to provide an annual report to the commission regarding offering four year baccalaureate degree programs completed in three years. Expands the schools to which requirements regarding secondary credit apply. Changes the name of the statewide transfer general education core to the Indiana college core. Requires the commission, in coordination with the department of education (department) and institutions, to maintain and post a list and syllabus or course outline record of each eligible college core course. Requires, by July 1, 2025, the department to partner with one or more institutions or approved postsecondary educational institutions to provide online access to the college core through the course access program. Provides that credit equivalencies, including the college core, for all Cambridge International Advanced A and AS Level examinations must be updated annually and sent by each institution to the commission by June 1 each year. Provides that each institution shall post these annually updated credit equivalencies on the institution's website by July 1 each year. Provides that the commission shall post the annually updated credit equivalencies on the commission's student transfer of credit portal by July 1 each year.
Sen. Jeff Raatz
Sponsored bills
Amends the duties of state educational institutions' diversity committees. Provides that certain offices or individuals established or employed by a state educational institution (institution) regarding diversity programming must include within the mission of the office or position programming that substantially promotes both cultural and intellectual diversity. Establishes various requirements and restrictions for institutions regarding free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity that does the following: (1) Requires the establishment of certain policies regarding: (A) disciplinary actions for certain persons that materially and substantially disrupt protected expressive activity; (B) limiting or restricting the granting of tenure or a promotion if certain conditions related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity are not met; and (C) disciplinary actions that will be taken if, after a review, a determination has been made that a tenured faculty member has failed to meet certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity. (2) Requires the review and consideration, at least every five years, of certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity. (3) Requires the establishment of a procedure that allows students and employees to submit complaints that a faculty member or contractor is not meeting certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity and establishes requirements regarding the procedure and submitted complaints. (4) Establishes consideration requirements before an institution renews an employment agreement or other contract with, makes a bonus decision regarding, or completes a review or performance assessment of a faculty member or contractor. (5) Prohibits requiring an applicant, employee, or contractor to pledge allegiance to or make a statement of personal support for: (A) certain policies or actions; or (B) political or ideological movements. (6) Establishes restrictions regarding awarding admission, enrollment, employment, benefits, hiring, reappointment, promotion, or granting tenure to an applicant, employee, or contractor on the basis of the viewpoints expressed in a submitted pledge or statement. (7) Requires certain information be included in an institution's programming for new students. (8) Requires the adoption of a statement on neutrality that makes a distinction between the official positions of an institution from the individual viewpoints of the institution's employees, contractors, students, and alumni. (9) Allows the commission for higher education (commission) to establish a survey that attempts to collect information from students regarding the current perceptions of whether free speech and academic freedom are recognized and fostered by an institution in a manner that welcomes expression of different opinions and ideologies and requires an institution to promote and provide the survey to students. (10) Establishes various reporting requirements by institutions or the commission concerning complaints submitted regarding faculty members or contractors who are not meeting certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity. (11) Provides that certain individuals may request the commission to review a final decision by an institution concerning a violation of these provisions. Provides that the commission may enter into an agreement with the office of administrative law proceedings to review violations of certain provisions and issue an opinion on behalf of the commission. Requires each institution to submit certain information by September 1, 2024, and on September 1 of each year thereafter.
Allows an automotive salvage recycler or an agent of an automotive salvage recycler to apply for a certificate of authority for a motor vehicle on behalf of the seller with all required information collected at the point of sale. Sets forth reporting requirements for automotive salvage recyclers. Requires notice to be provided to the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over an automotive salvage recycler's established place of business if, when applying for a certificate of authority, the automotive salvage recycler or an agent of the automotive salvage recycler learns: (1) the motor vehicle was reported stolen; or (2) the owner of the motor vehicle does not match the individual who provided the automotive salvage recycler with the motor vehicle.
Requires the department of education (department), in collaboration with the commission for higher education and subject to the approval of the state board, to establish an excellence in civic engagement designation. Requires the department to develop recommendations for an excellence in civics education designation for schools. Provides that the public hearing required before a school employer and school employee may privately negotiate certain matters may take place at a regular or special meeting of the school's governing body.
Makes various changes to the education law concerning the following: (1) Indiana diploma requirements and designations and satisfying certain course requirements by obtaining a diploma. (2) The criteria to receive a waiver from postsecondary readiness competency requirements. (3) The minimum number of alternate diplomas that may be counted in determining a school's or school corporation's graduation rate. (4) Use of the terms "statewide assessment program" and "statewide summative assessment". (5) The responsibilities of the state advisory council on the education of children with disabilities. (6) The criteria an individual must meet to participate in the Indiana high school equivalency diploma program. Establishes notice and posting requirements regarding school corporations that fail to meet: (1) certain expenditure requirements regarding full-time teacher salaries; or (2) the percentage of state tuition support that must be expended on teacher compensation. Provides that the amount a school corporation expends on teacher compensation shall also include amounts the school corporation expends on certain dropout recovery education services. Provides that state tuition support for certain virtual students is not included in determining the amount a school corporation expends on teacher compensation. Requires the following: (1) Each public high school to offer, after June 30, 2028, at least once each school year at least one computer science course as a separate subject in the public high school's curriculum. (2) The department of education (department), in revising and updating academic standards, to consider integrating: (A) computer science; and (B) data literacy and data science; standards into a subject area being revised. (3) Beginning with the cohort of students who are expected to graduate from a public school or a state accredited nonpublic school in 2029, a student to successfully complete instruction on computer science as a separate subject before the student may graduate. (4) Each public school to participate in an annual statewide survey concerning school fees charged to students or parents to be eligible to receive a distribution from the curricular materials fund. (5) The department to develop proposals to align diploma waiver statutes with new diploma requirements. (6) Charter schools to post certain information. Provides that the state board of education (state board) may allow a computer science course to satisfy one or more diploma course requirements. Removes provisions regarding the application and waiver of requirements concerning: (1) certain expenditure requirements regarding full-time teacher salaries; and (2) the percentage of state tuition support that must be used for teacher compensation. Removes provisions that have expired concerning high school graduation requirements and graduation waivers. Removes language concerning the disqualification of certain students for state scholarships, grants, or assistance administered by the commission for higher education and provides that a student may not receive or use any state scholarships, grants, or assistance administered by the commission for certain noncredit-bearing, nondegree seeking courses. Amends the expiration date for the high school equivalency pilot program to June 30, 2026. (The current expiration date is June 30, 2024.) Allows school corporations to provide certain notices regarding expulsion meetings by electronic mail. Provides each school corporation, charter school, and state accredited nonpublic school shall include in its curriculum for students enrolled in grade 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 (instead of all high school students) instruction concerning personal financial responsibility. Provides that a literacy achievement grant is not subject to collective bargaining. Provides that a school corporation may include instruction regarding Internet safety in the school corporation's curriculum. Requires the department to approve previously developed age appropriate curricula concerning Internet safety not later than July 1, 2025. Requires the office of management and budget to establish a kindergarten through grade 12 data governance team. Establishes the duties of the data governance team, including the submission of a report to the legislative council. Requires, not later than July 1, 2024, the department to: (1) establish an online, self-paced professional development module with regard to mathematics; (2) develop math descriptions correlated to proficiency level descriptors to track proficiency at the student level; (3) create and identify dedicated math resources to assist with intervention and enrichment opportunities and instructional strategies; and (4) post the resources on the department's website. Requires, not later than December 1, 2024, the department to submit a plan to the legislative council that includes: (1) strategies for the early identification of students who are at risk of not meeting grade level proficiency in mathematics; and (2) recommendations for high quality intervention policies for mathematics. Defines "literacy coach" and requires literacy coaches to prioritize certain duties. Provides for the availability of certain grants for literacy coaches. Establishes certain restrictions and requirements regarding visiting teacher licenses. Requires the department and the commission for higher education, in conjunction with the state board, to partner with teacher preparation programs to receive an outside evaluation of teacher preparation reading instruction programs. Requires the department to develop guidelines regarding the use of curriculum or content that prepares elementary school teacher candidates in math instruction. Provides that a student's latest statewide assessment program test results are included on the student's transcript upon request of the student. Provides that successful completion of an International Baccalaureate diploma program course (course) shall count for high school credit. Provides that any rule adopted by the state board or the department concerning certain diplomas must provide that successful completion of a course is credited toward fulfilling the requirements of certain diplomas. Provides that high school students who have taken a course examination and received a score of four or higher on the examination are entitled to postsecondary academic credit at state educational institutions under certain conditions. Amends the requirements to receive a literacy endorsement. Requires the governing body of each school corporation to have a policy regarding the participation of habitually truant students in extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
Requires that the Indiana department of labor consult with the Indiana department of veterans' affairs to create and distribute a veterans' benefits and services poster. Provides that the veterans' benefits and services poster must contain certain information. Requires that Indiana employers with more than 50 full-time employees (or their equivalent) display the veterans' benefits and services poster in a conspicuous place.
Requires an adult oriented website operator that displays material harmful to minors to use a reasonable age verification method to prevent a minor from accessing an adult oriented website. Creates a cause of action to permit: (1) the parent or guardian of a child harmed by a violation of the age verification requirement to obtain monetary damages, injunctive relief, and reasonable attorney's fees; and (2) any other person to bring an action to obtain injunctive relief and reasonable attorney's fees. Prohibits a person that conducts age verification from retaining the identifying information of an individual seeking to access an adult oriented website that displays material harmful to minors, and permits an individual whose identifying information is retained to bring an action to obtain monetary damages, injunctive relief, and reasonable attorney's fees. Requires adult oriented website operators to use commercially reasonable methods to secure all information collected and transmitted. Provides that the attorney general may bring an action to obtain an injunction, a civil penalty of not more than $250,000, or the attorney general's reasonable costs in investigating and maintaining the action. Provides that when the attorney general has reasonable cause to believe that any person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in a violation, the attorney general is empowered to issue civil investigative demands under IC 4-6-3-3 to investigate the suspected violation. Requires verification information of minors to be kept confidential with certain exceptions. Adds verification information to the definition of "personal information". Adds a violation of IC 24-4-23 as a deceptive act.
Amends the duties of an attendance officer and the state attendance officer. Requires, not later than November 1 of each year, the state attendance officer to submit a report to the legislative council containing recommended legislation based on the state attendance officer's discussions with attendance officers. Requires each governing authority of a school corporation and charter school to establish a truancy prevention policy regarding certain students in kindergarten through grade 6. Provides that a prosecuting attorney shall notify each parent of a child when an affidavit is filed regarding the child's compulsory attendance violations or if the child is a habitual truant.
Provides that a state of disaster emergency declared by the governor: (1) that applies to the entire state may not continue for more than 60 days unless a renewal is authorized by the general assembly; and (2) that only applies to part of the state may not continue for more than 30 days unless renewed by the governor. Provides that the renewal of a statewide disaster emergency authorized by the general assembly may continue for not more than 60 days. Specifies that if a state of disaster emergency that applies to the entire state has ended, the governor may not call a new state of disaster emergency that applies to the entire state unless the new disaster is wholly unrelated to the earlier disaster. Defines "wholly unrelated".
Requires a state educational institution (institution) to disclose certain foreign gifts and contracts received or entered into after December 31, 2020. Requires the commission to establish and maintain a website for accessing information about disclosed gifts and contracts. Authorizes the commission to provide for an audit of an institution's use of a disclosed gift, or the proceeds of a disclosed contract, received or entered into after June 30, 2021, and before July 1, 2024. Authorizes the attorney general to bring a cause of action to enforce the disclosure statute. Requires the board of trustees of an institution to adopt a policy prohibiting the transfer, licensing, or sublicensing of intellectual property developed using the institution's resources to: (1) a business entity organized under the laws of a foreign adversary; (2) a business entity headquartered in a foreign adversary; or (3) a business entity or other entity, including a governmental entity, that is owned or controlled by citizens of, or is directly controlled by the government of, a foreign adversary. Requires the board of trustees of each institution to adopt a policy prohibiting an employee or contractor of the institution from making a public statement in the employee's or contractor's official capacity unless the statement: (1) relates to the operation of the institution, or to an institution sponsored event; or (2) has been approved by the board of trustees. Prohibits an institution from using state funds or resources to: (1) engage or contract with an individual associated with a foreign terrorist organization or a state sponsor of terror; or (2) support the activities of a foreign terrorist organization or a state sponsor of terror.