# Indiana HB 1539: Education matters.

Indiana HB 1539, Education matters., is a First Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2025) House bill sponsored by Vernon Smith (Democratic); status failed, last action 2025-03-03 (First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development) (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1539-2025
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Indiana HB 1539
- State: Indiana
- Session: First Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2025)
- Title: Education matters.
- Status: failed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-01-21
- Last action: 2025-03-03, First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development
- Sponsor: Vernon Smith (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Subjects: education, the senate, education and career development
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 1 (92 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Requires a public school to do the following: (1) Notify a parent of a student not later than 24 hours after the student makes an allegation that an employee of the public school engaged in misconduct. (2) If the public school determines that an allegation is unsubstantiated or otherwise dismissed, provide written notification to the employee and parent of the student not later than 14 days after the determination. Amends the definition of "bullying". Provides that certain discipline rules adopted by the governing body of a school corporation include timetables for reporting of bullying incidents to the parents of both the targeted student and the alleged perpetrator not later than one business day after the incident is reported. (Current law provides reporting of bullying incidents not later than five business days after the incident is reported.) Requires the governing body of a school corporation to: (1) require a school corporation to determine the severity of an incident of bullying and whether the incident may warrant transfer of the victim or the alleged perpetrator to another school in the school corporation; and (2) require a school corporation to approve the transfer of a victim or the alleged perpetrator of an act of bullying to another school in the school corporation under certain circumstances.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Vernon Smith (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Becky Cash (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: J.D. Ford (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Jeff Raatz (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Mark Spencer (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Robert Behning (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Sheila Klinker (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-02-18 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 92 | 0 |   |

## Actions (11)

- 2025-03-03: First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development (Senate)
- 2025-02-19: Referred to the Senate (House)
- 2025-02-18: Senate sponsors: Senators Raatz, Spencer, Ford J.D. (House)
- 2025-02-18: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 198: yeas 92, nays 0 (House)
- 2025-02-17: Amendment #1 (Pfaff) prevailed; voice vote (House)
- 2025-02-17: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (House)
- 2025-02-17: Representative Klinker added as coauthor (House)
- 2025-02-13: Representatives Behning and Cash added as coauthors (House)
- 2025-02-13: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House)
- 2025-01-21: Authored by Representative Smith V (House)
- 2025-01-21: First reading: referred to Committee on Education (House)

## Bill text

- Engrossed House Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1539/versions/HB1539.03.ENGH?format=pdf)
- House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1539/versions/HB1539.02.COMH?format=pdf)
- Introduced House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1539/versions/HB1539.01.INTR?format=pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 324: Criminal procedures. (signed)
- SB 231: Various corrections matters. (signed)
- SB 80: Code publication. (signed)
- SB 453: Various tax matters. (signed)
- SB 464: Financial institutions and consumer credit. (signed)
- SB 371: Workforce matters. (signed)

## Sources
- [Engrossed House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1539/versions/HB1539.03.ENGH?format=pdf)
- [House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1539/versions/HB1539.02.COMH?format=pdf)
- [Introduced House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1539/versions/HB1539.01.INTR?format=pdf)

## Related
- [SB 324: Criminal procedures.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB324-2025)
- [SB 231: Various corrections matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB231-2025)
- [SB 80: Code publication.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB80-2025)
- [SB 453: Various tax matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB453-2025)
- [SB 464: Financial institutions and consumer credit.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB464-2025)
- [SB 371: Workforce matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB371-2025)
- [Indiana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana/bills)
- [Indiana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1539-2025 (as of 2026-10-17).