LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Indiana lawmaker wants to make kindergarten mandatory for children beginning at age 5.
HB 1408 provides that, "beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, a student shall enroll in a kindergarten program not later than the fall term of the school year, if the student is five years of age on August 1 of that school year."
It's part of a wave of education legislation sponsored by first time state Rep. Tonya Pfaff. The career educator from Terre Haute was elected in November as a Democrat.
While most children attend kindergarten, it is currently not mandatory in Indiana. In fact, current state law gives parents the option of delaying the start of their child's education until age 7.
"I think that's a tricky one. I started my boys when they were six. They just were not mature when they were five," Northhaven Elementary teacher Wendy Broady said. "I think that's a decision for lots of different parents to make."
Broady has taught kindergarten for eleven years at the school in Jeffersonville, Ind.
"I think kindergarten should be mandatory," Broady said. "A lot of times, those kids who are a little immature, not quite ready — they're the ones who struggle."
Indiana's Office of Fiscal and Management Analysis estimates there could be nearly 50,000 students aged 5 to 7 not currently enrolled in K-12 education. Reports say Pfaff’s bill could cost the state more than $140 million in education funding.
Some parents and teachers are speaking out against the legislation online. It’s not unusual for a child to start kindergarten at age 6 in Indiana. Parents delay for various reasons, including the child’s maturity, and some wait to provide their kids an advantage in youth sports.
A change.org petition trying to stop the measure has more than 5,000 signatures online.
House Bill 1408 is in the education committee awaiting a hearing.
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