| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | Introduced Version |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE BILL No. 1361 |
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| 4 | 4 | | _____ |
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| 5 | 5 | | DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL |
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| 6 | 6 | | Citations Affected: IC 20-33-2. |
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| 7 | 7 | | Synopsis: Excused absence from school. Provides that the governing |
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| 8 | 8 | | body of a school corporation or the chief administrative officer of a |
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| 9 | 9 | | nonpublic school system shall authorize the absence and excuse of a |
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| 10 | 10 | | school student if the student participates in certain events offered by |
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| 11 | 11 | | the National FFA Organization, the Indiana FFA Association, or a 4-H |
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| 12 | 12 | | club. Provides that a student's excused absences may not exceed six |
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| 13 | 13 | | days in a school year. Provides that the student must be in good |
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| 14 | 14 | | academic standing. |
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| 15 | 15 | | Effective: July 1, 2024. |
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| 16 | 16 | | Aylesworth, Baird, Culp |
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| 17 | 17 | | January 10, 2024, read first time and referred to Committee on Education. |
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| 18 | 18 | | 2024 IN 1361—LS 6911/DI 143 Introduced |
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| 19 | 19 | | Second Regular Session of the 123rd General Assembly (2024) |
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| 20 | 20 | | PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana |
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| 21 | 21 | | Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type, |
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| 22 | 22 | | additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type. |
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| 23 | 23 | | Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional |
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| 24 | 24 | | provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the |
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| 25 | 25 | | word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds |
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| 26 | 26 | | a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts |
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| 28 | 28 | | between statutes enacted by the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly. |
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| 29 | 29 | | HOUSE BILL No. 1361 |
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| 30 | 30 | | A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning |
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| 31 | 31 | | education. |
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| 32 | 32 | | Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana: |
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| 33 | 33 | | 1 SECTION 1. IC 20-33-2-14, AS AMENDED BY P.L.90-2011, |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2 SECTION 42, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE |
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| 35 | 35 | | 3 JULY 1, 2024]: Sec. 14. (a) This section and sections 15 through 17.5 |
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| 36 | 36 | | 4 17.8 of this chapter apply to a student who attends either a public |
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| 37 | 37 | | 5 school or a nonpublic school. |
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| 38 | 38 | | 6 (b) The governing body of each school corporation shall have a |
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| 39 | 39 | | 7 policy outlining the conditions for excused and unexcused absences. |
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| 40 | 40 | | 8 The policy must include the grounds for excused absences required by |
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| 41 | 41 | | 9 sections 15 through 17.5 17.8 of this chapter or another law. Any |
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| 42 | 42 | | 10 absence that results in a person not attending at least one hundred |
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| 43 | 43 | | 11 eighty (180) days in a school year must be in accordance with the |
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| 44 | 44 | | 12 governing body's policy to qualify as an excused absence. |
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| 45 | 45 | | 13 (c) Service as a page for or as an honoree of the general assembly |
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| 46 | 46 | | 14 is a lawful excuse for a student to be absent from school, when verified |
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| 47 | 47 | | 15 by a certificate of the secretary of the senate or the chief clerk of the |
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| 48 | 48 | | 16 house of representatives. A student excused from school attendance |
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| 49 | 49 | | 17 under this section may not be recorded as being absent on any date for |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2024 IN 1361—LS 6911/DI 143 2 |
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| 51 | 51 | | 1 which the excuse is operative and may not be penalized by the school |
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| 52 | 52 | | 2 in any manner. |
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| 53 | 53 | | 3 SECTION 2. IC 20-33-2-17.8 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA |
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| 54 | 54 | | 4 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS |
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| 55 | 55 | | 5 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2024]: Sec. 17.8. (a) Except as provided in |
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| 56 | 56 | | 6 subsections (b) and (c), the governing body of a school corporation |
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| 57 | 57 | | 7 or the chief administrative officer of a nonpublic school system |
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| 58 | 58 | | 8 shall authorize the absence and excuse of each school student if the |
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| 59 | 59 | | 9 student participates in a scheduled competition, exhibition, or |
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| 60 | 60 | | 10 event offered by: |
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| 61 | 61 | | 11 (1) the National FFA Organization; |
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| 62 | 62 | | 12 (2) the Indiana FFA Association; or |
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| 63 | 63 | | 13 (3) a 4-H club; |
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| 64 | 64 | | 14 for educational purposes as evidenced in writing by the student's |
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| 65 | 65 | | 15 parent and as approved in writing by the student's school |
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| 66 | 66 | | 16 principal. A student excused from school attendance under this |
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| 67 | 67 | | 17 section may not be recorded as being absent on any date for which |
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| 68 | 68 | | 18 the excuse is operative and may not be penalized by the school in |
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| 69 | 69 | | 19 any manner. |
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| 70 | 70 | | 20 (b) The number of excused absences a student may receive |
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| 71 | 71 | | 21 under subsection (a) may not exceed six (6) instructional days in a |
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| 72 | 72 | | 22 school year. |
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| 73 | 73 | | 23 (c) In order for a student to receive an excused absence under |
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| 74 | 74 | | 24 subsection (a), the student must be in good academic standing, as |
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| 75 | 75 | | 25 determined by the school corporation or nonpublic school. |
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| 76 | 76 | | 2024 IN 1361—LS 6911/DI 143 |
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