Dive Brief:
- Legislation under consideration in Indiana would require any electronic communications, like emails and text messages, between teachers and students be forwarded to the school’s principal and the student’s parents.
- The bill seeks to halt inappropriate interactions between teachers and students, which have been put under the spotlight in the state by two arrests in the past week.
- Indiana State Teachers Association President Teresa Meredith says the bill would create additional work for educators and administrators, but she is open to continue the discussion and find a reasonable solution.
Dive Insight:
“[Parents] should know what’s happening with teachers and faculty and other people at the school corporation,” State Sen. Dennis Kruse (R – Auburn), the bill's author, told WISH 8. “If they’re emailing, the parents ought to have a right to say ‘Hey, I want a copy of that e-mail.’”
According to WISH 8, however, some districts are already using tools to monitor teacher-student communication, so there may be some overlap in this bill.