INDIANA – Hoosier students will face stricter rules this school year.
As students in Indiana head back to school, they will encounter some stricter classroom rules, including new reading requirements, a tighter absenteeism policy, and no cell phones.
New Reading Requirements
A notable new state law mandates that students who fail a reading assessment must repeat the third grade.
Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the nonprofit Indiana Youth Institute, said a notable new state law mandates students who fail a reading assessment must repeat the third grade.
“Senate Bill 1, ‘Every Child Learns to Read,’ and really thinking about that third-grade literacy,” Silverman explained. “How are we going to continue to build a foundation so that all of our kids — particularly our youngest ones — get those strong early reading skills?”
The 2024 Indiana Kids Count Data Book revealed only one-third of Indiana fourth-grade students were reading at or above proficiency levels, marking a four-percentage-point decrease from the 2019 rate of 37%.
Unexcussed Absences
Senate Bill 282, authored by Sen. Stacey Donato, R-Logansport, seeks to return students to classrooms by compelling more parental involvement and responsibility.
Legislative leaders said that ensuring that Hoosier kids attend class is their priority.
The latest Indiana data shows that about 40% of students statewide missed ten or more school days last year, and nearly one in five were “chronically absent” for at least 18 days.
Student absences have increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana and nationwide. Although Indiana’s latest numbers show slight improvements, absentee rates during the 2022-23 school year were still eight percent higher than before the pandemic.
Schools must report students with ten or more unexcused absences to the local prosecutor’s office. The new law may result in legal action against parents whose kids miss too much school.
Education experts note that being absent as few as three days out of the school year affects test scores and overall academic performance. Getting to school daily also helps kids develop a routine and increases their influential engagement time with adults.
Since the pandemic, the student demographic groups with the most significant gaps in state language arts and math testing are more likely to be chronically absent.
Cell Phones in the Classroom
Kids in Indiana public schools will face a ban on cell phones in classrooms.
Senate Enrolled Act 185 bans “any portable wireless device” and received bipartisan support from lawmakers. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the bill into law, which will take effect in July.
“Even as adults, we’re distracted by using our cell phones,” said Sen. Jeff Raatz, a Republican and the bill’s author, in a February 14 meeting of the House Education Committee.
John O’Neal of the Indiana State Teachers Association testified that since COVID, teachers have reported that student behavior and mental health issues linked to cell phones have spiked.
“It’s becoming a major problem,” O’Neal said. “Students aren’t motivated in class because they’re distracted by their devices.”
Schools must adopt a policy banning students from using wireless communication devices during class, including cellphones, tablets, laptops, and gaming devices.
Each school district will decide how to enforce the new law. For example, students might be required to put their phones in locked pouches or designated places in the classroom.
It will be up to school boards to adopt these policies this summer.
School districts will determine any potential consequences for students who violate it.
Students can use the tech:
- If a teacher allows it for educational purposes during instructional time.
- For example, if a student needs to manage their health care, such as blood sugar monitoring.
- In the event of an emergency. The law does not define what constitutes an emergency.
- If the use of the device is included in their Individualized Education Program or 504 plan.
