Indianagram_August2023

The Indiana Association of School Principals leads in the advocacy and support of all principals in their commitment to every child.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

Tiffany Barrett

Kert Boedicker

Kelli Brotherton

Keith Burke

Sarah Gore

April Holder

Rick Hunt

Wendy Ivey

Nicholas Mitchaner

Dan Peo

Jessica Poe

Kelly Storms 11025 East 25th Street Indianapolis, IN 46229

1-800-285-2188 or 317-891-9900

www.iasp.org

tbarrett@iasp.org

© 2023 Indiana Association of School Principals

All rights reserved. Any duplication without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Being a Principal

My administrative journey began in 2000 as the assistant principal of Southport Middle School. I was so excited for the opportunity. My job description included more of management where I was responsible for buildings and grounds, the school calendar, special education, supervision, etc. SMS was definitely a transition because I had spent the last eight years as a high school teacher. However, I loved the work that I was doing, and I met some really great people. But, I would be remiss if I didn’t share my struggles. My funniest memory was when we had a bat loose in the building. I remember locking down the classrooms while several administrators tried to remove a flying bat waving brooms around the ceiling. Looking back now, it was hilarious. But that’s what principals do. By the same token, one of the scariest things I did was to walk the building looking for bombs in trash cans because someone called in a threat. I remember thinking “where is the bomb squad?” Although I was scared, I kept searching because that’s what principals do.

I transitioned back to MSD Wayne Township to Fulton Junior High School as an assistant principal. I graduated and taught at Ben Davis High School, so it was a homecoming for me. I was responsible for two grade levels teams as well as the discipline of the students on those teams along with “all other duties assigned by the principal.” One of my craziest moments was when I supervised the freshman class to Kings Island and I heard my name being called over the loudspeaker – “Mrs. Thorpe, please come to the security office!” One of my students stole a sweatshirt because she was cold. She was glued to my side for the rest of the field trip and neither of us were happy about it. But that’s what principals do. There was another time when I had two families from the neighborhood who were fighting each other, and they brought the nonsense to school. When I started suspending students for their misbehavior, the families threatened me! And back in my sassy days, I told them to “Bring it!” Of course, I contacted my school resource officer for support, because that’s what principals do!

As the principal of Fishers Junior High School, I have learned and grown so much. I know what it means to be a leader, and to me, that means taking care of your people – all of your people. I learned to be bold with my decisions, which sometimes comes at a price. I know the position can be lonely, so I surround myself with other great leaders. And when students come back to our school and say that FJH was the best time of their life, I know my impact and my decisions matter. And that’s what principals do – We matter!

The job isn’t always easy, and sometimes I feel defeated. But, it is so rewarding to impact the many lives of the people we serve each and every day! My foundation is the optimism at knowing today is a new day, and I GET to do this! I CHOOSE to do this! I was MADE for this! So to all of my principals out there, LET’S DO THIS!

Dr. Crystal Murff Thorpe IASP President

Each school year brings excitement, nervousness, and maybe a little concern for how the 180 days will unfold. We are excited for our new staff, new programs, and for the new students we get to work with and develop. We are also likely nervous and a little concerned for that new staff, new programs, and the new students! And that is ok, as all three emotions help guide your decisions, actions, and messages which provides the school and community with your vision and your hopes for the year. As we often say at IASP, “How you tackle the role of the principal is more important than what you do as the principal.” For this “How” helps people understand and know your “Why”, and this translates into their actions that support and drive the school’s vision and mission.

Our IASP President, Dr. Crystal Murff Thorpe captures these thoughts well in her first Indianagram article as she talks through the various aspects of actions school leaders take that are most likely well outside the coursework we all took to obtain our degree and license to become an administrator. We are fortunate to have Crystal leading this year, and I know her leadership style and her advocacy for our profession is what IASP needs this year. A few of those nervous thoughts I mentioned above come from new legislative initiatives, and through her guidance and hopefully our resources, you will have the successful year you are envisioning as the school year begins. Our advice is to remain focused on the “Why” and “How” and to use your local and state resources to tackle any current and future issues. You will always have plenty of things to do each day, (emails, texts, activities, …) ensuring that the right things are what gets accomplished keeps your staff moving forward so they can have the positive impact on the students we all desire.

Of course, the fall semester also brings us our IASP District meetings and then both the AP and the Fall Conference. Both will be held this November at the JW Marriott and the Keynote Speakers are set. Jimmy Casas will kick off the AP Conference on November 17th and we will hear from Dr. Robyn Jackson at the Fall Conference on Monday, Nov 20. The concurrent sessions are being approved, and WOW!! We had over 150 proposals to present and after a quick review, your colleagues are ready to be a resource for you and ready to motivate you come November. Take a moment to register and to reserve your hotel room in Indy, we know it will be a great way to recharge and renew for the rest of the school year!

Dr. Todd D. Bess

Executive Director

Future Indianagram themes

September: Supporting College and Career Readiness

October: Behavior

November: Be Thankful!

January: Technology in Schools

February: Be Kind!

March: March Mayhem

April: Safety

May: End of Year Reflection, Growth, & Celebration!

June: The BEST of 2023-2024

Share your thoughts on the Indianagram: https://forms.gle/sCmLHwnh4aYcTJdr8

IASP Executive Committee

IASP

Dr. Crystal Murff Thorpe President

Dr. Holly Arnold President-Elect

Jennifer Matasovsky Vice President

Matt Shockley Past President

Amy Niemeier NAESP State Representative

Dave Strouse NASSP State Coordinator

Steve Baker Liaison to the DOE

Dr. Daniel Peo Assistant Principal Liaison

UPCOMING EVENTS

IASP hosts events throughout the year to support the growth and development of Indiana school administrators and students. Each event is intentionally designed to encourage and engage all participants in the pursuit of learning!

Find A Full List Of Events at www.iasp.org/Events

Special thanks to our Platinum Corporate Sponsor

Working Together to Support Indiana Students

Dr. Katie Jenner Indiana Secretary of Education

Over the past several weeks, school buses have once again started rolling across Indiana as students head back to the classroom. While often hectic, nothing compares to the excitement of a new school year and the limitless possibilities that lie ahead for our students to learn, grow, and thrive.

Since the last edition of Indianagram, several new laws impacting education have gone into effect…each aimed at helping us positively move the needle for students this school year and into the future. Today, I’d like to share a few highlights.

First, Indiana will soon implement the first-in-the-nation Career Scholarship Accounts (CSAs) program, helping us to further blur the lines between K-12, higher education, and the workforce. This new CSA opportunity will create and fund $5,000 accounts for 10th through 12th grade students regardless of where they attend school. This funding is designed to support the completion of credentials of value and quality work-based learning experiences, including modern youth apprenticeships. During the first year of implementation, these customizable accounts will be available to approximately 1,000 students, and are intended to be scaled in future years, providing a powerful resource in helping students overcome barriers to fulfill their purpose and find their best, unique path ahead.

This is important because instead of just reading about a career in nursing, a student may be able to participate in a youth apprenticeship program at a local hospital. A student interested in advanced manufacturing could be paid to help build robots at an advanced manufacturing plant. While some of these experiences are available today, this opportunity will expand access to a growing number of Hoosier students, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay.

This session, state lawmakers also tasked IDOE with refining the courses and course sequences required for high school graduation, as well as developing shared definitions of credentials of value and high-quality work-based learning. These are important components of the state’s ongoing work to rethink the high school experience, which is focused on three key areas:

■ Diploma requirements - Making high school diploma requirements more flexible and relevant to students, employers, and communities

■ High-quality work-based learning

- Improving access to high-quality work-based learning opportunities, as well as the number of students completing these experiences

■ Credentials of Value - Increasing access to high-value postsecondary credentials before high school graduation, as well as the number of students earning these credentials

Stakeholder engagement will continue to be a crucial part of this work and we look forward to providing a progress update this fall!

Indiana also continues to make historic investments in literacy (now up to $170 million - the largest-ever investment in our state!). Indiana’s literacy rates have been declining for a decade. Today, one out of every five third graders in Indiana is not proficient in key literacy skills. This can have a lifelong impact, as we know that students who can read at the end of third grade are 35% more likely to graduate high school. When it comes to ensuring our students can read, there is no time to waste.

Several new laws were passed during the 2023 legislative session to elevate the science of reading and further support schools in achieving our statewide reading goal of 95% by 2027. To best serve our students, we must continue to urgently lean into science of readingbased instruction, providing additional

support for both current and prospective educators. This includes funding to deploy instructional coaches through the Indiana Literacy Cadre and reward schools and teachers for improving students’ foundational reading skills, providing literacy support plans for Indiana elementary schools with less than 70% of students passing IREAD-3, requiring higher education educator preparation programs to embed the science of reading into their curriculum and prepare our future teachers to receive a literacy endorsement, as well as allowing current teachers to receive a pay differentiation if they obtain a literacy endorsement.

As a new school year begins and we implement the new laws shared above, thank you for all of your time spent planning and preparing to kick off an excellent 2023-2024 school year!

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From the AP Lens: Wishing You A Happy ‘23-’24 School Year!

Dr. Dan Peo Assistant Principal Avon High School IASP Assistant Principal Liaison

Greetings, fellow Assistant Principals, Deans, and Aspiring Administrators! I hope that while reading this, you are doing well as you have begun or are about to begin a new school year. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself if you don’t know me; my name is Dan Peo, and I am starting my second two-year term as the Assistant Principal Liaison to the IASP Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. In short, my role is to provide a voice for APs, Deans, and Aspiring Administrators as the Board of Directors provides governance for the business of IASP. I was so blessed to be able to meet many fellow colleagues during my first term as IASP AP Liaison. I plan to continue to highlight fellow colleagues’ voices by asking them to co-author with me for this article throughout the year.

For educators who are preparing for the start of school, this is similar to a “Happy New Year” type of mentality! We have had a chance (hopefully) to rest and recharge over the summer break, and often, it is a time of renewal and growth as we examine our past experiences and practices. I’d like to highlight a few IASP publications to consider as you continue your own personal growth as administrators. These resources may provide inspiration for goal-setting that may be part of your beginning of year process.

School Leader Paradigm: this publication (now in version 3.0) lays out the School Leader Paradigm, a model for conceptualizing all the key aspects of leading schools. Through the “Becoming” intelligences and “Doing” domains, the Paradigm provides a framework for growth over the first few years of your leadership as you are launching (1st year), building (years 2-5), and mastering (years 5+) your leadership. As we continue to influence and impact the schools we serve, the infinity loop that is part of the Paradigm shows how our impact stretches on and on, and the Paradigm ties that to a cycle of inquiry that provides a structure for problem-solving through planning, implementing, assessing, and reflecting. The Paradigm stands as a fresh and holistic perspective on the many dimensions of being a school leader.

School Leader Entry Plan: this publication is a great resource for administrators starting in new roles this year! It is rooted in the “Becoming” intelligences and “Doing” domains of the School Leader Paradigm, and it contains several applicable checklists as you finish the role you are leaving and as you transition into the new role. A very helpful section includes building relationships with key stakeholders: everyone from your superintendent, your administrative assistant, your leadership team, and your students, staff, and community.

School Leadership That Fits: for those of you who are considering school leadership as your next career move, this publication provides many questions and considerations as you examine yourself and whether a leap to school leadership is right for you. In addition to useful checklists and resources to improve your resume and cover letters, this resource provides many constructive steps as you move through the different stages of applying, interviewing, and reacting to the outcome of the interviewing panel’s decision. There is also a great list of sample interview questions at the end. Similar to the School Leader Entry Plan, School Leadership That Fits is rooted in the School Leader Paradigm, as is all of our IASP Programming as we grow Learning Leaders leading Learning Organizations.

If you have read these publications before, I’d suggest you give them another look as you start this new year. There are unfavorable statistics on the success rate of New Year’s Resolutions, so remember: what gets measured gets done! Set a few goals for yourself and find an accountability partner who will help you reach those goals. You will see your leadership continue to grow as you intentionally set and meet goals while serving your school community. If I can be a help along your leadership journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Also: if you’re interested in co-authoring with me this year for this article, please reach out!

Happy New Year!

Dr. Peo can be reached via email at depeo@avon-schools.org

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“Empowering Students’ Reading Success: Lincoln Elementary’s Journey with the Science of Reading”

Tracy Strieder Principal Lincoln Elementary, South Bend Comm. School Corp.

Lincoln Elementary School in South Bend hosts a seasoned staff who have weathered many initiatives. Teachers for years have had a 120 minute literacy block, Fundations phonics, and Fountas and Pinnell guided reading. The district added Heggerty phonemic awareness to round out our reading adoption repertoire two years ago and kindergarten teachers were trained in Orton Gillingham. When the district began holding professional development sessions introducing the Science of Reading (SoR), teachers were skeptical. Their knowledge base was limited with many thinking it was primarily phonics and feared it would take time away from authentic reading and writing. They saw it as yet another change when we have something that, according to our formative data, was working for students. It wasn’t translating to our summative data. Our students really struggle with the cognitive lift necessary to pass the state’s ILEARN assessment. In the spring of

2022, Lincoln was notified that it had an opportunity to join Indiana’s new Literacy Cadre with the promise of a dedicated building literacy coach and training in SoR. We jumped at the chance, but now had the challenge of getting teachers on board.

Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. Most of our teachers had extensive training in this model and used the guided reading approach with instructional level texts. Although students grew as readers, we were still frustrated with how many students did not begin to close their achievement gaps with their peers. Further, some students stagnated and spent years at lower reading levels, even as their knowledge base increased and despite the best efforts of teachers and interventionists.

Scarborough’s Rope, a primary visual for SoR, addresses the misconceptions teachers had. The rope shows the intricacies of SoR and learning to read. It confirmed what we already knew, that limited experiences and vocabulary knowledge hurt our students’ ability to read and comprehend grade level text. SoR continues to build on our knowledge of reading. Balanced Literacy established the 5 pillars of literacy;

What shifts in our instruction would propel our students forward? SoR is NOT a new approach or just phonics. It’s another tweak along the continuum of reading instruction as we learn more about the brain and the nature of becoming a fluent reader and writer. It concedes that most reading research is based on those who struggle to become readers. Successful readers attack unknown words at the phonics level first. SoR doesn’t replace the pillars of reading, it refines them, clarifying comprehension as a multifaceted concept including background knowledge, vocabulary, phonics and syntax. It gives teachers permission to spend adequate time on phonics instruction but also recognizes that background concepts and vocabulary are as important as being able to decode the text for comprehension.

Armed with this, it was time to invite the staff in, but how do we prove the importance of phonics-based small group reading to teachers? We had teachers experience and reflect on tackling an unknown word in context. Teachers noted that they all fell back on phonics first then looked at context for meaning. Phonics is the backbone of how we read. As fluent

adult readers, the process is so automatic we don’t even realize we are doing it.

What did we need to look at and tweak in our instruction? We now had permission for phonics and phonemic awareness, double doses of those for students who needed it, real experiences and vocabulary building, and dedicated time for authentic reading and writing daily. Our biggest lift was moving from guided reading. Teachers were comfortable with the guided reading approach and many used it with fidelity, but the student cognitive load for an instructional text is low (5% new learning practice). As students moved up in levels, growth stagnated as they reached unpredictable and varying text structures. Our district had already purchased the Geodes phonics based series as a companion to Fundations. Teachers did not use them with guided reading because the books were too complex, they didn’t meet the students instructional reading level, and teachers were not shown how to use them differently. My literacy coach and I rolled up our sleeves and got started. The small group reading sessions needed to be more interactive. Teachers and students needed more support. My coach worked with K-2 teachers sharing insight, giving professional development on the SoR components, modeling, co-planning, and working with teachers to help them shift their thinking.

What was crucial was to build teacher understanding about where SoR came from and why. Second, having a coach working directly with teachers on shifting their instructional practice. Teaching reading is an art. Most teachers never get enough training to feel confident teaching reading. The interaction between the teacher, the student, and the text is the key. The first shift was intentionally using illustrations to confirm phonics, rather than for comprehension. The second was direct phonics instruction imbedded in text reading in small groups.

Further, students receiving Tier 2 reading instruction, now focused on phonics and comprehension, showed bigger gains than our control group students.

Moving forward, we are continuing with our coach working with K-2 teachers. We have several teachers who are willing to be observed by their peers honing their process. We continue to refine our thinking and adjust our teaching to better meet the needs of our students. SoR is something that we anticipate will continue to be adjusted as we move forward and learn more about human thinking.

For those who are beginning their SoR journey, take the plunge, hike the trail; it’s worth it! Reading is about so much more than decoding the text, but phonics is how good readers decode. Rich and varied learning experiences are also crucial to student reading and writing success. Use technology to bring learning experiences to your students. Expand their horizons, allow them to discover new things. Follow their interests! SoR allows students to pick texts that speak to them, to find high interest books, and not to be limited by patterned texts and leveled readers!

As the teachers working with the coach began to experience success, more and more took notice and came on board. The positive results with our own students spoke for itself, especially in kindergarten. Kindergarten teachers were able to remove visual phonetic scaffolds for students earlier and kindergarten students grew quicker. Many not only surpassed their stretch goals but, on a whole, showed higher growth than ever. Students were independently reading and writing with varied sentence patterns and larger vocabulary. Our EOY data was encouraging with growth in all K-2 classrooms, but higher growth with the teachers who worked with the coach.

Exploring the GPS Dashboard: A Comprehensive Tool for School Leaders

Dr. Tiffany Barrett IASP Director of Member Services

Steve Baker

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, staying up-to-date with the latest initiatives and tools is crucial for educators and school leaders. One such tool that has gained prominence in Indiana is the GPS dashboard, designed to provide comprehensive data and insights for evaluating school performance. In this article, we will delve into the origins of the GPS dashboard, its recent updates, and the benefits it offers to schools and their communities.

Origins of the GPS Dashboard: As the DOE liaison, Steve Baker represents principals’ interests and offers valuable feedback to key decision-makers. He also emphasizes the importance of the work of the IASP and highlights how the GPS dashboard aligns with their mission to cover important DOE initiatives. With this in mind, this article will highlight some important elements of the GPS Dashboard and how Indiana school leaders can use it to grow and build success for their students.

Understanding the GPS Dashboard: The GPS dashboard, developed by the DOE State Board, aims to provide a comprehensive system for evaluating schools. It merges three evaluation components into one platform: the state letter grade, the federal rating (ESSA), and the GPS dashboard itself. While the merger of these components is a goal, it remains to be seen if and when it will be fully realized.

Key Features and Benefits: It’s important to highlight the advantages of the GPS dashboard, particularly its emphasis on multiple measures and comprehensive data. Unlike the

traditional letter grade system, which could be considered antiquated and unfair, the GPS dashboard incorporates various indicators and encourages a broader understanding of school performance. It also fosters community engagement, allowing stakeholders to participate in discussions and work together to improve outcomes.

Recent Updates and Future

Direction: The GPS dashboard was first rolled out in September 2022 and has received updates since then. The latest iteration, released in April 2023, offers more detailed student-level data and enables schools to compare their performance with others in the area. School leaders are encouraged to explore the dashboard thoroughly, particularly the “full report” feature, which provides in-depth analysis and allows for cross-analysis of strengths and weaknesses.

Legislative Involvement: Legislators have been involved in shaping the GPS dashboard. Recent legislative bills have called for the inclusion of additional data points, such as school disciplinary incidents, socioeconomic status and poverty rate, and the proportion of fully licensed teachers. This highlights the ongoing evolution and refinement of the GPS dashboard based on legislative priorities.

Conclusion: The GPS dashboard serves as a valuable tool for educators and school leaders in assessing school performance and identifying areas for improvement. Its multiple measures approach, comprehensive data, and community involvement inclusion make it a more robust alternative to the traditional letter grade system.

By leveraging the insights provided by the GPS dashboard, schools can make informed decisions to enhance educational outcomes and support student success.

Where to find out more: You can visit the following sites, explore your own GPS Dashboard, or listen to this podcast on August 23rd, featuring Mr. Steve Baker to learn more.

https://www.in.gov/doe/home/indianagraduates-prepared-to-succeedindiana-gps/

https://indianagps.doe.in.gov/

IASP Leadership Podcast: https:// traffic.libsyn.com/secure/iasppodcast/ Steve_Baker_August_23_GPS_ Podcast_final.mp3

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of the IASP or the IDOE.

IASP Liaison to the DOE

Welcome Back, Science of Reading

Dr. Michael Shaffer Associate Clinical Professor Director of MAE in Ed Leadership and Building Level Licensure Program Ball State University

It’s often easy to take a seat on the bus labeled Destination Nowhere on its flashing marquee when we see new initiatives and think “been there, done that.” After all, most elementary schools have followed some format of the Science of Reading for at least the last twenty years. Upon being asked, most teachers can tell you about Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, Fluency, Comprehension, and Vocabulary as all the essential components of a great reading program whether is a “homegrown” program, or one purchased after an extensive curriculum development process that has involved teachers, parents, administrators, reading specialists, EL teachers, and members of the public.

Today, the search for the “perfect” reading curriculum has even taken on an darker political tone. More than ever before, each reading passage must be scrutinized through an electron microscope for all reading selections, however innocuous, to prevent any words or phrases that could be offensive to anyone. But for the moment, I would like to exercise author’s privilege and stay clear of all of the that and talk about outcomes.

If I could design the perfect reading curriculum that lines up with the Science of Reading, here is what I would love to see it accomplish for students at all levels:

■ Kindergarten through second grade. No matter how a student comes to us, when they matriculate into third grade, I would love to see every single student well on their way to mastery of phonics, phonemic awareness, and a strong practice of fluency. In my perfect world, this would not be hounded into them but it rather has become a major part of their academic warp and woof so that it has grown into a natural part of who they are. They breathe, they read. Both actions come naturally. A major focus on vocabulary starts day one of school and continues through grade 12.

■ Third grade through fifth grade. We look at third grade as THE year to measure all of our successes up to this point. Somewhere (perhaps out of the Hogwart’s sorting hat?) it was decided that every child should read on grade level by third grade. I believe we still have two more years in most elementary schools to achieve that magical ongrade thing, and we still will need that in a number of our students. Promise me one thing as we continue to push the mechanics of learning to read well, we will not lose the two most important things in this three-year sequence: 1) developing a school-wide culture of reading and 2) increasing an individual love for reading that will never go away.

■ Sixth grade through high school. Continue to make genuine reading of whole books part of your courses, even if it is for extra credit. Read TO your kids.

How does a school leader create a school-wide culture of reading? There are no canned answers, programs to purchase, pizzas to give away, or celebrities you can bring in that can create that culture of reading in the school that you lead. Only YOU can stoke the fires that make reading the BIG thing. Now, wait, there are other subjects, why would I WANT to make reading the only thing?

I can guarantee you (and I don’t make promises very often) that if you make reading and literacy your major focus, it will bring up every other academic area. This focus can be fun in so many ways. How do you do it? Instead of contests for fundraisers, do them for reading! Divide the school in half and choose a week and give rewards to the side that reads the most minutes at home that week. Prizes? Don’t they cost money? Not the fun ones! Let the winning half of the school turn the principal into an ice cream sundae and every kid on the winning side gets to bring in a topping! I am sure the PTA will donate ten gallons of ice cream! (Yes, I have done this, and it’s awful, but the kids will never forget it!)

The other thing is to create an individual passion for reading in students especially in grades three through eight. I have never met a student who will not read, if you can find the kind of book that meets their interests. We created a Boys Read section of the library, not to single boys out, girls could check out of there as well. The reason was that boys pick books out differently. I hand picked the books and we spent $15,000 on biographies, sports books, military, graphic novels. By the end of each week, the section was EMPTY. Every book was a book a boy would love. Circulation increased over 1,500 books that year. Email me if you want more ideas! mbshaffer@bsu.edu.

IPLI Updates

Dr. Kelly Andrews Director Indiana Principal Leadership Institute

IPLI is a premier professional development opportunity for the practicing principals of Indiana. We are here to support you, encourage you, and provide growth in your leadership as we learn together, lead together, and connect.

IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity #5

IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity is a formal yet intensive professional development program for IPLI graduates beginning their 5th year. ELO allows IPLI Elite Graduates to dig deeper into topics covered during the IPLI experience. Threeday-long seminars will let you dig deeper into leadership topics that will support you throughout the year. Choose one or attend all three seminars….whatever works in your busy schedule. However, you deserve a day of learning and connecting.

Themes vary yearly so that graduates can enroll in ELO multiple times. IPLI ELO participants are encouraged to bring teacher-leaders to the seminars when appropriate. This year’s theme will be “Leaders in Action,” featuring the following speakers: Dr. Rhonda Roos and Dave Weber.

The Fall Seminar in September will be on the ISU campus, and we are planning a cohort reunion. You will not want to miss this opportunity to reconnect. We are calling all mentors, past and present, to participate with special pricing just for you! We hope to see you there.

Registration for IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity #5 is Open: http//indianapli.org/ipli-extended

IPLI will celebrate ten years of serving principals at the 2023 Summer Seminar, including Cohorts 10, 11, and ELO#5. Keynoting this year will be Dr. Peter DeWitt discussing Collective Leader Efficacy. Additionally, our principals will hear from Dr. Todd Whitaker, Annette Breaux, Dr. Mario Acosta, and Kim Campbell. The learning, collaboration, and networking will be an amazing launch to another decade of serving principals.

Over the last twelve months, having a statewide principal professional learning community to support Indiana’s school leaders as they have met the academic challenges has been invaluable. IPLI met the needs of Indiana principals by increasing mentor contacts, developing and sharing resources, and intensifying regional networks of support.

As Director of IPLI, I am excited for the future of schools in Indiana as the aligned system for principal professional development has never been more significant. INALI, IPLI, and IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity meet the need. IPLI is grateful for your ongoing support, trust, and dedication to education and educators during these challenging times showing Indiana’s commitment to growing our schools and students.

Riley Kids Caring & Sharing Update

Susan Miles Officer, Kids Caring & Sharing TM Riley Children’s Foundation

Welcome to school year 2023-2024! It’s always exciting to kick off a new school year full of promise and possibility. I even splurged on a new backpack to facilitate my Kids Caring & SharingTM resource/supply hauling.

Before we get started on the new KCS giving year supporting the IASP’s state charity of choice - - the most immediate needs of the state’s only nationally ranked, comprehensive children’s research hospital - - I want to share news about the incredible philanthropic work in which 312 Indiana K-12 schools engaged last year. Drum roll please…

$2,177,625.60 raised to benefit the children and families who turn to Riley Hospital for hope and healing! THANK YOU!

Although 46 fewer schools overall participated in 2022-23 than in the previous year (while raising $72,500 more), 259 schools will receive Red Wagon School specific decals for their multiyear recognition plaques, celebrating gifts totaling more than $1 per enrolled student. Watch your mail and let me know if you need a new KCS recognition plaque to add to your collection.

The top ten non-Dance Marathon (DM) model schools raised over $176,000 of the year-end total. Three schools together raised more than $6,300 of the total through their E-Sports team’s participation in the national Extra Life program and 46 high school DM programs contributed nearly $1.5 million. Eight school corporations engaged every school as Red Wagon status schools securing Red Wagon Corporation status, while

another 66 school corporations achieved Riley Corporation status, either with every school participating at some level, or the participating schools raising an amount equal to or greater than $1 for every student in the school corporation.

Thirty-seven non-DM model fundraising schools sponsored Riley Red Wagons for families to use while at the hospital, with gifts exceeding $4,000, and another 37 schools became Red Wagon Boosters with gifts exceeding $2,500. (Only $200 of Red Wagon Sponsorship gifts go to the actual cost and maintenance of the wagon.) Red Wagon Sponsorship increases to $5,000 and Red Wagon Booster to $3,000 in 2023-2024.

Twenty-two schools and one IASP District raised funds through our online fundraising platform last year. In this digital world, we can help increase student safety and make it easy to reach out to your philanthropic supporters. Data shows that online fundraising opportunities can help take your school’s support for Riley Hospital to the next level. Let me help you share a QR code with your donors this year in place of, or in addition to, your traditional bucket passing, coin wars and hat days!

Hundreds of thousands of Riley patients each year depend on gifts from individuals, schools, organizations, and corporations to help provide clinical care, family support services, and research initiatives at Riley. Your gifts made it possible for the Riley Children’s Foundation to grant $42.6 million to the hospital in 2022-2023. As we approach the hospital’s 100th anniversary, October 7, 2024, how can I help your school/school corporation celebrate your incredible legacy of philanthropy?

KGR Law Briefing: Back-To-School Legal Checklist

Séamus Boyce Attorney

With students starting the school year, your “legal” checklist can be daunting. The mandated trainings alone could be enough to overwhelm some. While the day-to-day demands of your job may feel like you are in triage, there can be damaging consequences for putting off legal compliance that seem less urgent. In this KGR Law Briefing, we cover some of the trending items that may not be on your list but should.

Addressing Policies (Especially Changes) with Staff, Parents and Students.

The bedrock of effective administration is reliable consistency, and in order to have that reliable consistency, school leaders must communicate expectations to their team. Of course, be sure that your school community is aware of and understands the policies and procedures. Be especially diligent that you highlight changes. Some common changes to policy have been made considering lessons from the pandemic and new statutory mandates. Emphasize the common disputes that you have encountered in the past and how those could have been prevented or at least mitigated.

We often help school leaders navigate allegations of discrimination and harassment. We recommend including that topic in any refreshers. Regarding student policies, we receive numerous Legal Help Desk inquiries regarding constitutional rights. A particularly hot topic has been dress codes and First Amendment rights. You can skirt (pun intended!) many disagreements over dress code by making the standards clear to families (and to the staff who are the usual enforcers). Regardless of how you communicate your policies,

make sure you do it in such a way that you can demonstrate that they had ample opportunity to review the policies that apply. For example, think about the situation where a student and that student’s parents are claiming ignorance to a policy. You want to be able to show them that they were made aware of the policy and it shouldn’t be new to them.

Transgender Student Practices. With the ever-evolving legal standards that apply to situations involving transgender (TGD) students, there is not a one-size-fits-all to develop your practices. It is, however, critically important that you plan ahead to know how to handle various situations involving TGD students and preferred names, pronouns, bathrooms, field trips, harassment allegations, etc. Disputes on this topic are high-risk to lead to litigation and negative attention. While there are still many gray areas in the law, here are a few things we do know from recent caselaw: (1) having an inflexible approach with no willingness to engage in an interactive process with students and their families will expedite potentially preventable disputes; and (2) an easy way to lose a legal challenge is by using a unisex restroom if all other students are not permitted to use that restroom as well.

Of particular importance this year, the Indiana General Assembly passed a new law regarding notification to the parent of a student request to change a name or pronoun within five business days. There is no definition of what constitutes a name change. We suggest not overthinking. If the name is a derivative of the same name, for example James to Jim or Abigail

to Abby, then notification is not required. But, when in doubt, provide the notification. Also, there is nothing in the law that prohibits schools to make students aware of the new law and the notification requirements if it seems likely they may make such a request. Finally, a school can work with the student (within five business days) on how the student may decide to notify the parent of a name or pronoun change, avoiding the school “outing” the student to the family.

We know the “temperature” among staff could be relatively high on this topic. Some may “push the envelope” on school policies by trying to display signs of support for TGD youth (such as rainbow flags). One practical tip to lower the temp on this issue is to emphasize the school’s policy against discrimination, harassment, and bullying. You can emphasize that our courts have consistently found discrimination and harassment based on “sex” protects TGD youth.

Neutrality Regarding Certain Activities.

Another new law that we have received numerous questions (including through the Legal Help Desk) is on “neutrality” for certain classroom activities. The law prohibits classroom activities requiring (1) political activism; (2) lobbying; or (3) efforts to persuade members of the legislative or executive branch at the federal, state, or local level; favoring any particular position on an issue without offering an alternative option for the student to complete the assignment or allowing the student to take the alternative position.

These terms are not defined in the

Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP

Keith Butler Education Law & Policy Summer Intern Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP

statute, but a dictionary definition of activism is “a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” This requires asking the student to do some exercise to support a position beyond a normal class discussion. Similarly, lobbying would require an affirmative action and “efforts to persuade” elected officials or their staff. And there are a couple “safe” harbors: (1) the activity does not impact grades (example: an extracurricular activity), or (2) the activity allows students to choose their position on an issue.

School Library Materials.

The same new law that addressing neutrality also requires development of a procedure for preparing a catalogue of materials in the library. While

this part of the law does not become effective until January 1, 2024, the school is well advised to start planning for the mandate to publish the library catalogue on each school’s website and make the catalogue available in hard copy upon request. The school must also establish a procedure to allow a parent or community member to request removal and to review requests at the next public meeting. The procedure must include a response by the governing body and an appeal procedure. The law contains a criminal provision that a school may not make available materials that contain “obscenity” or “matter harmful to minors” as defined by criminal law. Educational purpose & “bona fide” schools are not defenses to violations of this law. However, an employee of a school acting within the scope of their employment is exempted.

One practical tip is to develop the “removal request” procedure with a requirement for the complainant to explain how the library contents meet the criminal definitions of “obscenity” or “matter harmful to minors” with easy reference to the definitions.

What is the legal lesson from this brief?

Your plate will be full today, tomorrow, the next day, etc. But it is important that you fit on that plate checking off your tasks from your back-to-school legal compliance checklist, including the trending items that we addressed in this article.

We at the KGR Legal Help Desk are here to address legal issues for IASP members. Until the next KGR Law Briefing, stay legal!

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