Senate Unanimously Approves Volunteer Coach Discipline Bill

Senate lawmakers approved legislation Thursday that ensures Indiana law deals with how volunteer coaches at high schools are disciplined.

State law already governs how coaches who are employees of a high school are treated when fired for criminal acts or misconduct. But the law didn’t contemplate volunteers.

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Randy Head (R-Logansport) puts volunteer coaches on par with high school employees – and ensures the state Department of Education knows when those coaches are fired for bad or criminal behavior.

“The bill requires schools to notify the department and the department to keep a list of those people so if they try to get hired at another school, we know what’s going on,” Head says.

The bill applies to public, charter and private schools. The Senate approved the measure unanimously. The House could vote to send it to the governor as early as next week.