Senate Bill 380: Banning identifying as a cat in Indiana

02/28.2023 Update: This bill was heavily amended in the Senate to define graduation measures. The addition of Democratic co-sponsors in the House will like mean the dress code portion of the bill won’t receive much attention.

Analysis: A bill working through the Indiana Senate would reiterate that schools are allowed to enforce dress codes and curb disruptive behavior to address concerns about students identifying as furries. It follows a nationwide wave of claims – none proven – that students are dressing and acting like animals in classrooms.

When introducing the bill in the Senate’s education committee, which Raatz chairs, he said it was to address concerns about students who “may be imitating or were behaving like a furry.”

Senate Bill 380
Introduced Senate Bill (S)
Authored by Sen. Jeff Raatz.

DIGEST
Various education matters. Amends the definition of “graduation” for purposes of the high school graduation rate determination. Allows a school corporation to adopt a policy concerning dress code or disruptive behavior.

UPDATED DIGEST
Synopsis: Various education matters. Requires each school corporation to publish on the school corporation’s website the graduation rate for each high school in the school corporation. Amends the definition of “graduation” for purposes of the high school graduation rate determination. Amends the graduation rate calculation. Removes a provision that provides that not more than 1% of students of a cohort may receive the alterative diploma established by the state board of education. Allows a school corporation to adopt a policy concerning dress code or distractive behavior.

Actions for Senate Bill 380
H 02/28/2023 First reading: referred to Committee on Education
S 02/09/2023 Referred to the House
S 02/07/2023 Senator Breaux added as coauthor
S 02/07/2023 House sponsor: Representative Behning
S 02/07/2023 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 85: yeas 39, nays 10
S 02/06/2023 Senator Donato added as second author
S 02/06/2023 Second reading: ordered engrossed
S 02/02/2023 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
S 01/19/2023 First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development
S01/19/2023 Authored by Senator Raatz

Link to PDF file of Introduced Bill: SB0380.01.INTR
Link to PDF file of Amended Bill:

References and News articles about this bill:

Indianapolis Star: Indiana lawmaker targets furries in schools. Schools say there’s no problem, Arika Herron

Related Stories: Cat litter boxes in schools? Tony Dungy apologizes for tweet that sparked outrage and backlash

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Kentucky legislature files House Bill 30 invading privacy of transgender students

Author: whas11.com
Published: 5:14 PM EST January 9, 2023

House Bill 30 filed with the Kentucky State Legislature would invade student privacy by forcing students to use bathroom facilities of the gender they were assigned at birth.

Kentucky House Bill 30
Actions
Last Action 01/03/23: to Committee on Committees (H)
Title AN ACT relating to public school facilities and declaring an emergency.
Bill Documents Introduced
Bill Request Number 384
Sponsors B. Wesley, J. Hodgson

Summary of Original Version
Create new sections of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; establish legislative findings; ensure that student privacy exists in school restrooms, locker rooms, and shower rooms; require students born male to use only those facilities designated to be used by males and students born female to use only those facilities designated to be used by females; require schools to provide the best available accommodation to students who assert that their gender is different from their biological sex; identify consequences for using facilities designated for the opposite biological sex; EMERGENCY.

Index Headings of Original Version
Courts, Circuit – Student privacy rights, claims filed concerning
Education, Elementary and Secondary – Student privacy, ensuring
Effective Dates, Emergency – Student privacy, ensuring
Teachers – Privacy of students, ensuring
Children and Minors – Student privacy
Civil Actions – Student privacy

Continue ReadingKentucky legislature files House Bill 30 invading privacy of transgender students