Indiana senators cheer, laugh for rare unanimous ‘no’ vote

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An advocate for children with disabilities says she believes Indiana state senators never took seriously a bill they defeated in a rare 0-50 vote that would have changed the handling of special education disputes between families and schools.

Some senators laughed and shouted at bill sponsor Sen. Dennis Kruse of Auburn to change his “yes” vote so that the final tally was unanimously “no” on Tuesday.

Kruse said some senators wanted to vote down a provision opposed by many school administrators that would have prohibited schools from requiring parents to sign non-disclosure agreements in disputes over special education services.

Arc of Indiana CEO Kim Dodson said senators should be embarrassed with how they handled the bill.