STATEHOUSE — State Representative Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) authored legislation that would allow a student to transfer to a school a corporation outside of their district under special circumstances. The bill passed unanimously out of the Indiana House of Representatives on Monday.
House Bill (HB) 1056 authorizes a student to transfer school corporations if the student has a parent that is an employee of that school corporation. In order for the transfer to be permissible, the school corporation must have the capacity to accept the student.
“Parent teachers benefit from this bill as it allows them to be on the same academic calendar as their child as well as in close proximity,” said Rep. Soliday. “It can be challenging for teachers with a child that attends a different school district, especially if the child is sick or off from school for breaks. Teachers are extremely valuable to our community, so the convenience factor for their schedule is key and a major benefit of this bill.”
This legislation would also allow for nonpublic elementary students to attend a high school in the same district, even if it is not the district they live in. This would only apply if there is one public high school in the district and it does not have a transfer policy.
“Many students who have been with the same peers throughout their academic careers are forced apart at the high school level, because there is no parochial school to continue on to,” said Rep. Soliday. “I think it is important to allow students to attend the same school as the majority of their peers, so they can continue to advance in a comfortable environment.”
The bill will now be sent to the Senate for further consideration and debate.
From more information about HB 1056, please visit iga.in.gov.
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Rep. Soliday represents the city of Valparaiso, all of Center, Union and Washington townships and portions of Liberty and Jackson townships.
