STATEHOUSE (Jan. 30, 2020) – The Indiana House of Representatives recently voted in support of State Rep. Christy Stutzman's (R-Middlebury) bill that would support local schools who wish to provide more educational opportunities and options for Amish students in high school.
According to Stutzman, local educators had been faced with the challenge of finding ways to allow Amish students who wanted to complete career pathways training or job training certification through various programs without the school being penalized in their graduation calculation cohort numbers.
“This is not just an education bill, but a jobs and economic development measure as well,” Stutzman said. “Amish families traditionally send their children to school through the eighth grade so they can begin working in the family business or on the farm. In recent years however, there has been a shift in the community to allow Amish students to go to high school until the 10th grade, in order to allow more students to finish training and programs in job readiness.”
Stutzman’s proposal is a collaboration with Middlebury Community Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Robby Goodman and the Department of Education, and would allow families to enter agreements with local schools for these students to continue their education through at least the end of their 10th grade year and then withdraw due to their deeply held religious beliefs without negatively impacting a school's accountability rating, which is a measure of student achievement and carries financial benefits and penalties with the final numbers.
“We are supportive of Hoosier Amish communities and that’s why we need to balance their strongly held beliefs with local school accountability,” Stutzman said. “It is encouraging to see more Amish students pursue their education further and this bill ensures schools would not be unfairly penalized. By staying in school longer, these students will have access to workforce training opportunities, which could develop valuable skills that can be used within their community.”
Indiana has the third largest Amish population in the nation. While Amish communities can be found across the state, Adams, Elkhart and LaGrange counties have the highest populations.
Under this proposal, parents must enter into these agreements with schools before the child enters high school and be able to show their photo exempt ID card, which is only available to the Amish in Indiana.
House Bill 1305 now moves to the Senate for further consideration. Visit iga.in.gov to learn more.
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State Rep. Christy Stutzman (R-Middlebury) represents House District 49, which includes the eastern portion of Elkhart County.
PHOTO CAPTION: State Rep. Christy Stutzman (R-Middlebury) presents her legislation on the House Floor supporting local high schools and the Hoosier Amish students they serve Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. Stutzman’s proposal would allow families to enter agreements with local schools for Amish students to continue their education through the 10th grade and leave school due to their sincere religious beliefs without negatively impacting a school's accountability rating. House Bill 1305 is now available for consideration by the Senate.
