2023 Indiana Code › Title 20. Education › Article 51. School Scholarships › Chapter 4. Choice Scholarship › 20-51-4-1. Autonomy of Nonpublic Schools; Curriculum

Sec. 1. (a) Except as provided under subsections (b) through (h), it is the intent of the general assembly to honor the autonomy of nonpublic schools that choose to become eligible schools under this chapter. A nonpublic eligible school is not an agent of the state or federal government, and therefore:
(1) the department or any other state agency may not in any way regulate the educational program of a nonpublic eligible school that accepts a choice scholarship under this chapter, including the regulation of curriculum content, religious instruction or activities, classroom teaching, teacher and staff hiring requirements, and other activities carried out by the eligible school;
(2) the creation of the choice scholarship program does not expand the regulatory authority of the state, the state's officers, or a school corporation to impose additional regulation of nonpublic schools beyond those necessary to enforce the requirements of the choice scholarship program in place on July 1, 2011; and
(3) a nonpublic eligible school shall be given the freedom to provide for the educational needs of students without governmental control.
(b) This section applies to the following writings, documents, and records:
(1) The Constitution of the United States.
(2) The national motto.
(3) The national anthem.
(4) The Pledge of Allegiance.
(5) The Constitution of the State of Indiana.
(6) The Declaration of Independence.
(7) The Mayflower Compact.
(8) The Federalist Papers.
(9) "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine.
(10) The writings, speeches, documents, and proclamations of the founding fathers and presidents of the United States.
(11) United States Supreme Court decisions.
(12) Executive orders of the presidents of the United States.
(13) Frederick Douglass's speech at Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852, entitled "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?".
(14) "Appeal" by David Walker.
(15) Chief Seattle's letter to the United States government in 1852 in response to the United States government's inquiry regarding the purchase of tribal lands.
(c) An eligible school may allow a principal or teacher in the eligible school to read or post in the school building or classroom or at a school event any excerpt or part of a writing, document, or record listed in subsection (b).
(d) An eligible school may not permit the content based censorship of American history or heritage based on religious references in a writing, document, or record listed in subsection (b).
(e) A library, a media center, or an equivalent facility that an eligible school maintains for student use must contain in the facility's permanent collection at least one (1) copy of each writing or document listed in subsection (b)(1) through (b)(9).
(f) An eligible school shall do the following:
(1) Allow a student to include a reference to a writing, document, or record listed in subsection (b) in a report or other work product.
(2) May not punish the student in any way, including a reduction in grade, for using the reference.
(3) Display the United States flag in each classroom.
(4) Provide a daily opportunity for students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance in each classroom or on school grounds. A student is exempt from participation in the Pledge of Allegiance and may not be required to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance if:
(A) the student chooses to not participate; or
(B) the student's parent chooses to have the student not participate.
(5) Provide instruction on the constitutions of:
(A) Indiana; and
(B) the United States.
(6) For an eligible school that enrolls students in grades 6 through 12, provide within the two (2) weeks preceding a general election five (5) full recitation periods of class discussion concerning:
(A) the system of government in Indiana and in the United States;
(B) methods of voting;
(C) party structures;
(D) election laws; and
(E) the responsibilities of citizen participation in government and in elections.
(7) Require that each teacher employed by the eligible school present instruction with special emphasis on:
(A) honesty;
(B) morality;
(C) courtesy;
(D) obedience to law;
(E) respect for the national flag and the Constitution of the State of Indiana and the Constitution of the United States;
(F) respect for parents and the home;
(G) the dignity and necessity of honest labor; and
(H) other lessons of a steadying influence that tend to promote and develop an upright and desirable citizenry.
(8) Provide good citizenship instruction that stresses the nature and importance of the following:
(A) Being honest and truthful.
(B) Respecting authority.
(C) Respecting the property of others.
(D) Always doing the student's personal best.
(E) Not stealing.
(F) Possessing the skills (including methods of conflict resolution) necessary to live peaceably in society and not resorting to violence to settle disputes.
(G) Taking personal responsibility for obligations to family and community.
(H) Taking personal responsibility for earning a livelihood.
(I) Treating others the way the student would want to be treated.
(J) Respecting the national flag, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Indiana.
(K) Respecting the student's parents and home.
(L) Respecting the student's self.
(M) Respecting the rights of others to have their own views and religious beliefs.
(9) Provide instruction in the following studies:
(A) Language arts, including:
(i) English;
(ii) grammar;
(iii) composition;
(iv) speech; and
(v) second languages.
(B) Mathematics.
(C) Social studies and citizenship, including the:
(i) constitutions;
(ii) governmental systems; and
(iii) histories;
of Indiana and the United States, including a study of the Holocaust and the role religious extremism played in the events of September 11, 2001, in each high school United States history course.
(D) Sciences.
(E) Fine arts, including music and art.
(F) Health education, physical fitness, safety, and the effects of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and other substances on the human body.
(g) An eligible school shall not teach the violent overthrow of the government of the United States.
(h) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the requirements of IC 20-30-5.
As added by P.L.92-2011, SEC.10. Amended by P.L.162-2016, SEC.2; P.L.106-2016, SEC.15.