The subject of our September Advocate Profile, Randy Hudgins, is a lifelong Hoosier, a public school teacher, and a father. He is an active advocate for Indiana's public education system and has been fighting policies harming it since 2022.
Tell us about you (i.e., your hometown, your hobbies, family, interests).
I would introduce myself as a public high school history teacher and football coach of 20 years. I am also a husband and father residing in Fishers, sending my kids to public schools. My commitment to social justice is informed by my Christian faith and a love of my country, given to me by my family and my training as a historian.
I grew up in Bloomington and graduated from Hanover College. The most meaningful part of that formal education was a two-week trip to Alabama, where we visited the major Civil Rights landmarks. We listened to the stories of the people and families who lived that struggle and made a better world for the next generation.
What policies do you advocate for?
I advocate for policies that will benefit students, families, teachers, and communities in the Indiana educational system. I also speak out against policies that will be harmful to those groups. Unfortunately, in recent sessions of the Indiana General Assembly, my focus has been on advocating against bills that would damage the education of our next generations.
My main areas of advocacy are against bills and policies that limit the content that can be taught in our classrooms- specifically instruction of challenging concepts like race, gender, national origin, religion and similar topics. The first bill I ever advocated against was the so-called “neutral on the Nazis” bill from the 2022 session, which required teachers to be impartial when discussing Nazism.
This year, there was a similar attack on our public education systems, Senate Bill 289, which targeted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. There were many provisions in this bill to dislike. I find it best to testify on what I know, which is the attempt to censor the curriculum approved by the State Board of Education, articulated in required state standards, and covered in state approved textbooks. Unfortunately, the bill passed and was signed into law, but thanks to opposition from educators like me and hundreds of Hoosiers, the House Judiciary committee struck some of the most harmful K-12 education provisions from the bill.
What were some standout moments from this year’s session?
An additional crucial improvement to a bill was in House Bill 1531- which ultimately did not pass both chambers- but proves the importance of lobbying groups working behind the scenes. The bill sought to give wide-ranging powers to the Indiana Attorney General as well as local law enforcement to identify and assist federal authorities in apprehending undocumented immigrants. The bill, backed by the Heritage Foundation of Project 2025 infamy, demanded that schools begin turning over confidential data for all enrolled undocumented students including discipline records, academic records, student addresses, parents’ names, contact information, and parent employers. Groups including the Indiana State Teachers Association and the ACLU of Indiana successfully lobbied to get the language out of the bill before it headed to committee.
The 2025 legislative session brought many heartbreaking changes in policy, but also small but significant victories on important issues facing Hoosiers’ day to day lives. Groups like the ACLU of Indiana can help support concerned citizens who want to get involved, and I encourage everyone to speak out when they see bad bills continue to be proposed in the future.
