STATEHOUSE (May 21, 2025) – The governor recently signed into law legislation to overhaul Indiana’s K-12 education regulations, according to Hendricks County lawmakers.
State Rep. Greg Steuerwald (R-Avon) said House Enrolled Act 1002, a House Republican priority bill, removes outdated, unnecessary and duplicate text in Indiana’s education statutes to help schools with compliance and give them more control over local decisions.
“It’s far more important that teachers and administrators be able to focus on providing a quality education than spending excessive time on onerous reporting requirements,” Steuerwald said. “This law cuts unnecessary regulations so educators can devote more time preparing the next generation of Hoosiers for success.”
Title 20 in Indiana Code deals with education and is nearly equal to the length of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. According to State Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton), House Enrolled Act 1002 reduces Indiana’s education code by nearly 10 percent. This includes eliminating “may” provisions on actions schools can already do without state permission, unused funding programs and inactive commissions, specific mandates enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic and duplicate code.
“Keeping our regulations updated is just as important as addressing current concerns through new laws,” Thompson said. “This legislation was a priority for House Republicans to ensure state education laws are streamlined and easier to follow.”
State Rep. Craig Haggard (R-Mooresville) said the law also empowers schools to control certain training and professional development for their teachers and staff.
“Our local educators have a much better understanding of what their community needs than state regulators do,” Haggard said. “It’s important that we don’t needlessly impede their efforts to provide a quality education for young Hoosiers.”
To learn more about House Enrolled Act 1002 and other new laws, visit in.gov/gov/newsroom/2025-bill-watch.
