While the 2026 legislative session started early and has been dominated by the state’s redistricting debate, the rest of the session could bring big changes to Indiana schools and students.
As part of our coverage, Chalkbeat Indiana is tracking this year’s biggest education bills as they move through the statehouse.
Below are bills that would make substantial changes to policies affecting Indiana students and teachers. That means generally, we’re not including bills that make minor changes to existing grants and programs, or to the makeup of state commissions and governing bodies.
This year is a short session, and because of the early start, lawmakers expect to complete their work by the end of February. Bills must pass out of their originating chamber by Jan. 29 to continue to advance in the other chamber, per the Indiana General Assembly website.
Education bills in the Indiana House
House lawmakers have until Jan. 7 to file bills.
HB 1017: University notification of emergency contact
Requires universities to establish a procedure where a student may designate an emergency contact for medical emergencies, and to notify the contact in the event of an emergency.
HB 1018: School age child care
Removes transportation requirements in the approval criteria for the school age child care project fund
HB 1026: Child care funding
Requires the state to use a $300 million Financial Growth and Opportunity fund from the 2025 budget to fund the Childcare Development Fund and the On My Way Pre-K programs, which have recently faced cuts.
HB 1034: Student cellular telephone use
Bans cellphones, personal laptops, smartwatches, and other devices from schools for the full school day and specifies that any learning on devices must be done on school-issued devices. Read more here.
HB 1035: Permissible unsupervised activity
Specifies that a child does not need Department of Child Services intervention for engaging in independent activities like staying home or in a car alone, or playing or biking outside, unless a parent has endangered the child’s safety by allowing them to do the activity, based on the child’s “maturity, condition, or ability.”
Education bills in the Indiana Senate
Senate lawmakers have until Jan. 9 to file bills.
SB 15: Foster youth Bill of Rights
Requires the department of child services to create, publish, and distribute a statement called “the foster youth bill of rights” which summarizes a foster youth’s rights and responsibilities.
SB 58: Cursive writing
Requires elementary schools to teach cursive.
SB 62: Unlawful possession of a firearm by a child
Makes changes to laws concerning firearm possession by a child, including adding an enhanced penalty if an offense was committed on or in school property, within 500 feet of school property, or on a school bus.
SB 66: Kindergarten readiness indicators
Requires the early learning advisory committee to establish and publish kindergarten readiness indicators concerning behavior, executive functioning, literacy, math, and others.
SB 68: Accelerated graduate degree programs
Requires colleges and universities to add graduate degree programs in fields like social work and counseling, and to allow students to complete them on an accelerated timeline.
SB 77: Sale of school buildings
Creates exceptions to the $1 law for school districts in a county with a population of less than 150,000 to have one year to sell a school building to a county or municipal government before the school building must be made available for lease or purchase to a charter school or state educational institution for $1. Read more here.
SB 78: Wireless communication device policy
Bans cellphones, personal laptops, smartwatches, and other devices from schools for the full school day and specifies that any learning on devices must be done on school-issued devices. Read more here.
SB 84: Prekindergarten and child care
A sweeping child care and preschool bill that seeks to expands the income eligibility for the programs, raise reimbursement rates for providers, and fully fund applicants to the child care fund in order to eliminate the waitlist. Read more here.
SB 86: Charter schools
Removes the charter board, state educational institutions, and nonprofit college or university governing boards from the definition of an authorizer.
After June 30, 2026, provides that the charter board, state educational institutions, and governing boards may not issue new charters or renew existing charters.
After June 30, 2026, establishes a five year moratorium that prohibits an authorizer from granting a charter to an organizer to establish and operate a charter school in Indiana.
Requires charter schools to provide transportation services to all students who reside within the public school district within which the charter school is located.
Exempts school corporations subject to certain property tax sharing requirements from the dollar law.
Changes the maximum charter school contract term to five years.
SB 88: Identity instruction and teacher licensing exemptions
Requires public schools to incorporate the importance of: (1) obtaining at least a high school diploma and acquiring additional training in preparation for the workforce; (2) securing full-time employment; and (3) waiting until marriage to begin having children; into student instruction.
Prohibits social studies instruction or discussion from teaching a national identity that’s based on racism, sexism, gender discrimination, victimization, class struggle, privilege, or exclusion.
Requires a state educational institution to accept a Classic Learning Test score for admission consideration.
Allows teacher candidates in alternative pathways to request a waiver from the state teacher licensing exam and substitute their ACT, SAT, Classical Learning Test, or GRE scores instead.
Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.