INDIANAPOLIS — Earlier this week, a controversial school curriculum bill was considered dead in the Indiana Senate.
Now, in the legislative session's final days, there’s talk language from the bill could be revived.
On Monday, GOP leaders said they were considering putting some of the bill’s language into another bill moving forward so it could pass this session.
“At the end of the day, this one was difficult to move for lots of different reasons,” said Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray. “We had some members of our caucus who felt like it didn’t go far enough. We had some members of our caucus who felt like it was too much of a burden on education.”
On Thursday, the Indiana State Teachers Association and public school advocates rallied against the possible change.
“It’s not time to place more burdens on teachers, and it is certainly not time to limit the resources and materials that students can access, especially when trying to reach those most impacted by the pandemic,” said Keith Gambill, ISTA president.
HB 1134 would limit what teachers can say in the classroom about race, gender, ethnicity and religion.
Supporters said the goal was to allow more paternal input, but teachers called it a move to undermine their profession.
More than 200 people signed up to speak on the bill in a committee hearing last week.
“We have ensured that HB1134 has died, but the spirit of the bad ideas still exists, so we must ensure that it meets the same fate,” said parent Carolina Castoreno.
On Thursday, House Speaker Todd Huston said inserting language from HB 1134 into another bill was “highly unlikely” and that House Republicans would not be on board.
Bray also said the chances of reviving the language “do not look good at this time.”
Despite the comments from Republican leaders, ISTA is still asking Hoosiers to contact legislators and voice concerns through this weekend, saying there is no place for HB1134 in Indiana.
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