House Democrats cautiously optimistic about diploma updates, looks forward to futher collaboration

Today, Aug. 14, the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE) revealed the second draft proposal for Indiana's new high school diploma. House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) released the following statement regarding the plan to revise the initial proposal: 

“A sign of good governance is the willingness to listen to the people. The SBOE and Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) received over 8,000 comments from the public after their effort to 'redesign high school.' Our communities' concerns ranged from external employment to college applications. The public contacted our caucus about the potential safety risks, accessibility to transportation, lack of academic rigor, competitiveness in college admissions and the short implementation timeline. 

“House Democrats look forward to the SBOE and IDOE releasing the full details of the latest proposal so our caucus and constituents can provide informed feedback on the updated proposal.  

“I would like to thank the public for their response and engagement on this issue. Through grassroots advocacy, the public was able to positively influence the diploma proposal. We hope the SBOE and IDOE keep their word to proceed with full transparency and continue to take public input into consideration.

“Our caucus remains committed to ensuring Hoosier students have access to a well-rounded, public education that will present them with a stable future and unlimited career opportunities. We hope the public will continue to stay involved as we learn more about the latest proposal.”