Modoc School District Wins in Court: Judge Blocks State Forced Closure, 259 In-Person Students Can Stay
According to an Indianapolis local report published Oct. 24, a Randolph County judge has blocked the Indiana law provision that would have forced the closure of the Union School Corporation in Modoc, preserving the district's ability to keep operating. Randolph Superior Court Special Judge Brian Hutchison granted the district summary judgment without a trial, declaring invalid the part of a 2025 law that targeted the district for closure. The district sued the state and Gov. Mike Braun, arguing lawmakers violated the Indiana Constitution when, in the final weeks of the 2025 session, they inserted the closure provision into Senate Enrolled Act 1, a property tax law, which Braun signed days later. Under the original law, the district's students and funding would have been split after the 2026-27 school year between Randolph County's Monroe Central district and Henry County's Blue River Valley district. After the ruling, board member Krista Ellis told colleague Kristi Ogden, "I feel like I can finally breathe." Board President Ogden said the ruling affirmed her belief that the school belongs to the community. The district has a single school building in Modoc with 259 in-person students this year, up from 249 last year, plus about 4,033 students enrolled in its three virtual programs.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：印第安纳州议会大厦（资料图）。照片：Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）。the Indiana Statehouse (file photo). Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
