Citations Affected: IC 20-8.1; IC 20-10.2; noncode.
Synopsis: Parental involvement in education. Sets forth provisions that
a school's strategic and continuous school improvement and
achievement plan may include to encourage parental involvement in
the school. Requires the department of education to make models of
parental involvement plans available to schools for use in developing
plans. Requires a parent to enter into a written compact with the school
the parent's child attends setting forth expectations for the child, the
parent, the child's teachers, and the child's school. Requires a parent to
make a reasonable effort to comply with the compact. Allows a
superintendent or principal to bring a civil action against a parent who
does not enter into the compact or does not comply with the compact.
Allows a superintendent or attendance officer to either bring a civil
action against a parent who does not comply with compulsory
education requirements or refer the matter to the prosecuting attorney.
Effective: Upon passage; July 1, 2001.
January 22, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Education.
February 15, 2001, amended, reported favorably _ Do Pass.
February 19, 2001, read second time, ordered engrossed.
February 20, 2001, engrossed.
February 22, 2001, read third time, passed. Yeas 49, nays 0.
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
education.
SECTION 1. IC 20-8.1-3-32 IS AMENDED TO READ AS
FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2001]: Sec. 32. Enforcement of
Chapter. (a) It is the duty of each superintendent, attendance officer
and state attendance official to enforce the provisions of this chapter in
their respective jurisdictions and to either:
(1) execute the affidavits; or
(2) bring the action;
authorized under this section. This duty is several and the failure of one
(1) or more to act shall not excuse any other official from his the
obligation to enforce this chapter.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), affidavits against parents
for violations of this chapter shall be prepared and filed in the same
manner and under the procedure prescribed for filing affidavits for the
prosecution of public offenses. Affidavits under this section subsection
shall be filed in the circuit court of the county in which the affected
child resides. The prosecuting attorney shall file and prosecute actions
under this section subsection as in other criminal cases. The court shall
promptly hear cases brought under this section. subsection.
(c) A superintendent or attendance officer may bring an action
against a parent under this subsection to compel the attendance of
the parent's child under this chapter. An action under this
subsection must be brought in the court that has civil jurisdiction
in the county in which the affected child resides. The court shall
promptly hear cases brought under this subsection.
SECTION 2. IC 20-8.1-14 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2001]:
Chapter 14. Parental Participation in a Student's Education
Sec. 1. This chapter does not apply to a nonpublic school.
Sec. 2. (a) Each school in a school corporation shall develop a
written compact among the school, the students, the students'
teachers, and the students' parents.
(b) A written compact must contain the expectations for the
school, the student, the student's teachers, and the student's
parents.
(c) Each educator at the school shall affirm and sign the
compact, and each student and the student's parents shall come to
the school before the start of each school year to sign and affirm
the compact.
Sec. 3. A parent shall make a reasonable effort to comply with
the terms of the compact, including attending all parent-teacher
conferences and disciplinary proceedings concerning the child.
Sec. 4. (a) A superintendent or principal may bring an action
against a parent under this section to compel the parents to:
(1) enter into; or
(2) comply with the terms of;
a compact under this chapter.
(b) An action under this section must be brought in the court
that has civil jurisdiction in the county in which the affected child
resides.
(c) The court shall promptly hear cases brought under this
section.
SECTION 3. IC 20-10.2-3-5, AS ADDED BY P.L.221-1999,
SECTION 13, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2001]: Sec. 5. (a) A plan must contain the following
components for the school:
(1) A list of the statutes and rules that the school wishes to have
suspended from operation for the school.
(2) A description of the curriculum and information concerning
the location of a copy of the curriculum that is available for
inspection by members of the public.
(3) A description and name of the assessments that will be used
in the school in addition to ISTEP assessments.
(4) A plan to be submitted to the governing body and made
available to all interested members of the public in an easily
understood format.
(5) A provision to maximize parental participation in the school,
which may include access to learning aids to assist students
with school work at home, information on home study
techniques, or access to school resources.
(6) For a secondary school, a provision to do the following:
(A) Offer courses that allow all students to become eligible to
receive an academic honors diploma.
(B) Encourage all students to earn an academic honors
diploma or complete the Core 40 curriculum.
(7) A provision to maintain a safe and disciplined learning
environment for students and teachers.
(8) A provision for the coordination of technology initiatives and
ongoing professional development activities.
(b) If, for a purpose other than a plan under this chapter, a school
has developed materials that are substantially similar to a component
listed in subsection (a), the school may substitute those materials for
the component listed in subsection (a).
SECTION 4. [EFFECTIVE UPON PASSAGE] (a) Not later than
September 1, 2001, the department of education shall develop and
make available to school building committees developing strategic
and continuous school improvement and achievement plans under
IC 20-10.2-3 models of parental involvement plans that include
student achievement as the primary focus of the plans for use by
the school building committees in developing the parental
participation component of the strategic and continuous school
improvement and achievement plan required under IC 20-10.2-3-5,
as amended by this act.
(b) This SECTION expires September 2, 2001.
SECTION 5. An emergency is declared for this act.