Call to Action for the Special Session—Vote No on HB1315

Today, May 7, at the statehouse in room 404 at 10 am, there will be a short public testimony period for the awful HB1315. Our lobbyist, Joel Hand, will be speaking along with leaders from ISTA and IAPSS and other organizations.

Across the state concerned citizens are making their voice heard through phone calls, letters, and social media activity.

You should be just as outraged about this bill. Not only does it not reflect democracy but it essentially makes Muncie Community Schools different from other public schools, eliminating protections that children, parents, and employees have by law.

Legislators who vote in support of this bill are careless and are concerned only about the bottom line.

What can you do? Make your voice heard.

Seek out your legislator if you can. Speak to them face to face and ask them if they are aware of 10 items in the list above.

Find your legislator here. 

Need more information. Read this Vic's recent Notes here. 

Follow the Meet Up/Greet Up/Tweet Up Facebook event here. You can find ways to get involved, taking points, etc. 

Want to be more fired up? Read this newspaper editorial here. 

The article was originally written by the Hoosier State Press Association, a trade group consisting of 167 newspapers and radio outlets, most of them very small and serving rural communities. 

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Press release from Indiana Coalition for Public Education

BILL PUTS 5,000 STUDENTS AT RISK OF BULLYING AND ABUSE
 
INDIANAPOLIS, MAY 7, 2018 -- The safety and education of more than 5,000 Muncie public school students are at risk if the Indiana General Assembly passes House Bill 1315 in the May 14 special session, according to the Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE).

"The bill is flawed and incomplete," said Vic Smith, an ICPE board member. "The future of Muncie students is too important to rush to pass a bill that could put students in danger."

House Bill 1315 would put the Muncie Community Schools (MCS) district under the control of Ball State University and exempt the district from many laws that govern Indiana's public schools.

ICPE opposed many provisions of HB 1315 during the regular Indiana General Assembly 2018 session. The bill seemed dead after it failed to come up for a vote on the final day.

"Now the bill will be brought back in the Indiana General Assembly May 14 special session, and it's as bad as before," said Smith.

The organization cited 10 reasons it is asking General Assembly members to vote no on the bill (see list above).  

"This is the worst form of this bill," said Smith. "Just before the final day, amendments made by the Senate to improve the bill were stripped out."

General Assembly leaders announced April 20 they would resurrect House Bill 1315 in the one-day special session and allow no amendments and no public testimony.

"We regret that much-needed financial relief for the district is now tied to a flawed bill," Smith said. "We would prefer to see the proposed financial relief considered separately. Muncie students should not lose protection of the bullying law or of any of the hundreds of other laws the Indiana General Assembly has passed to protect the state's other public school students."

ICPE is a grassroots, bi-partisan, not-for-profit, taxpayer group focused on preserving public dollars for public schools. For more information about the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, visit icpe2011.com.

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