Warsaw teacher charged with battery in student’s discipline
A northern Indiana teacher is facing a battery charge for allegedly causing an 8-year-old student to repeatedly fall down while disciplining the child.
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State launching new guidelines for schools during pandemic
One month after Indiana schools reopened their doors for in-person classes, state officials are releasing new recommendations for school operations and potential closures during the coronavirus pandemic.
Indiana teachers hit by pellets in training drill sue police
A group of teachers at a northern Indiana elementary school who were struck and injured last year by plastic pellets during an active shooter training drill are suing local police, accusing them of using excessive force during what the lawsuit calls the “Execution Style Drill.”
Teacher sues over firing for Facebook posts critical of ‘Leader in Me’ curriculum
A reading teacher fired earlier this year for Facebook posts that criticized a curriculum enhancement program used at her school has sued her former employer, claiming her firing violated her First Amendment rights.
Holcomb backs delay to possible Indiana school funding cuts
Indiana’s public schools would be assured of full state funding for the rest of this year under a plan announced by the governor Wednesday to sidestep a warning from a top fellow Republican that schools could face a 15% cut if they didn’t hold in-person classes.
Split COA reverses state ruling against 3 teacher union contracts
A divided appellate panel Wednesday overturned the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board’s final decisions that three contracts negotiated and ratified by Indiana teachers unions and their respective school employers did not comply with state law.
Teachers union backs strike if schools can’t reopen safely
Indiana’s second-largest teacher organization announced Tuesday that its members may resort to striking to ensure a safe return to school as the state continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Supreme Court sides with Catholic schools in employment suit
The Supreme Court of the United States is siding with two Catholic schools in a ruling that underscores that certain employees of religious schools, hospitals and social service centers can’t sue for employment discrimination. The high court’s ruling on Wednesday was 7-2.
Roncalli, archdiocese lose bid to limit discovery in fired counselor’s discrimination suit
The Indianapolis Archdiocese and an affiliated high school have once again lost a bid to limit discovery in a fired employee’s same-sex discrimination lawsuit to the question of whether the plaintiff’s claims fall under the First Amendment’s “ministerial exception.”
Former Indianapolis teachers union chief gets 16 months
The former president of the Indianapolis Education Association has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $100,000 from the union.
17 new Indiana coronavirus cases reported, bringing total to 56
Seventeen new coronavirus cases have been confirmed around Indiana, jumping the state’s total to 56, health officials said Thursday. The statewide death toll remains at two.
Indiana lawmakers back dropping tests in teacher evaluations
Indiana legislators have voted to end the mandatory use of student standardized test results in teacher evaluations, dropping a requirement long opposed by teachers.
Teacher unions: Children terrified by active shooter drills
The nation’s two largest teachers unions want schools to revise or eliminate active shooter drills, asserting that they can harm students’ mental health and that there are better ways to prepare for the possibility of a school shooting.
Holcomb signs bill delaying school, teacher penalties from ILEARN exam
Indiana schools and teachers won’t face penalties from lower student scores on the state’s new ILEARN standardized exam under legislation the governor signed Wednesday.
Teacher gun training program clears Indiana Senate
Indiana teachers who carry guns in schools would need to undergo annual training under a proposal advancing in the state Legislature.
Republicans vote down another Indiana teacher pay boost plan
A Democratic proposal to immediately boost Indiana teacher pay by $100 million a year by stretching out payments to a teacher pension fund was rejected Thursday by a Republican-controlled committee.
Holcomb says again wait a year on teacher pay boost
Indiana’s governor on Tuesday outlined to state legislators how to free up tens of millions of dollars to boost teacher pay but said he didn’t want them to act on it until next year.
Religious retaliation, accommodation claims to continue against Brownsburg schools
A federal lawsuit alleging Brownsburg schools discriminated against a former teacher who refused to address transgender students by their chosen first names will continue with claims brought under Title VII, though 11 other state and federal constitutional claims against the school district were dismissed. The judge also cautioned both sides against efforts to expand the issues in the case to nonparty students.
Indiana governor changes stance on teacher pay action
Indiana’s governor opened the door Monday to potentially boosting school funding and teacher pay after weeks of refuting any plans on such action until next year.
Indiana GOP holding off teacher pay action in 2020 session
Members of the Republican-dominated General Assembly return Monday to the Statehouse in Indianapolis for their 2020 session, during which they will face continued calls from teacher unions and Democrats for better teacher pay and less reliance on standardized student test scores for evaluation of schools and educators.