February 2020 | VOL 22 | NO. 2
Indianagram A publication of the Indiana Association of School Principals
The Indiana Association of School Principals leads in the advocacy and support of all principals in their commitment to every child.
Change Processes by Lizz Walters, President of IASP
Change…this is a word that is well known in education. We all know of stakeholders in our professional lives, and friends and family in our personal lives, who respond to change either negatively or positively. We ourselves have likely reflected on our ability to take change in stride for the betterment of our students in our professional lives and respond to changes in various ways in our personal lives. Whether the response to change is positive or negative, the fact remains...change is hard. Many of us in the coming months will face changes in staffing, assessment, accountability, facilities, and cohorts of students, to name a few. Some of these we will be able to plan for...some will come at us full speed and unexpected. As we all know, each and every stakeholder responds to both minute and extreme changes in very different ways. It is our responsibility as leaders to facilitate, facili-manipulate, and support all of our stakeholders in the process of change. You’d probably agree, we cannot do this alone. It is imperative that we rely on the strong leadership qualities of listening, collaborating, and relying on the expertise of others. I encourage you in the coming months to reflect heavily on past changes. What worked? What didn’t? For potential current and future changes, access support and expertise of stakeholders in your professional space who you rely on. Keep in mind that we are all in this together and likely have a lot to offer by way of resources. One approach you may utilize in an informal manner is displayed in our School Leader Paradigm. This formal model of implementing change (when we do have time to plan) is Plan, Implement, Assess, and Reflect. Being intentional on each step ensures you are gathering the right resources, involving the right stakeholders, having the ability to know the impact, and then making time to process the impact, next steps, and additional opportunities. Let IASP continue to be a resource on this topic in the coming months. I am happy to share that we have some natural changes to the IASP Executive Committee that can only be viewed as positive. We welcome two new individuals to start a new term. Please join me in congratulating Matt Shockley, principal of Avon High School, who will serve next year as a Vice-President of IASP. Please also join me in congratulating Dave Strouse, principal of Batesville Middle School, who will begin his term to serve as the NASSP State Coordinator for the next three years. Please read inside for more information on these individuals.
Inside this Edition
Change Processes.................................................................................P1 IPLI Flyer.............................................................................................P2 IDOE..............................................................................................P3 Riley Hospital Kids Caring & Sharing Update....................................P4 Corporate Sponsors..............................................................................P5 Secretaries Conference / Secretary Awards Nomination Form............P6 Aspiring Principals Conference Flyer..................................................P7 Indiana School Breakfast Task Force..................................................P8 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards - Indiana Winners.................P9
New IASP Vice-President....................................................................P9 New IASP App Information...............................................................P10 New NASSP State Coordinator..........................................................P10 Student Teaching Study Abroad: . Preparing Standout Teaching Candidates...........................P12 Spotlight on Service-Learning............................................................P14 NAESP Update...................................................................................P15 Dave Emmert’s Situation Briefs..........................................................P12
Indiana Principal Leadership Institute Accepting Applications Application Deadline is March 16 - Apply at www.indianapli.org The Indiana Principal Leadership Institute (IPLI) is accepting applications for its eighth cohort. The application deadline is March 16, 2020. The IPLI experience lasts two years for each cohort, with more than 50 principals participating in each group. The principals develop and implement personal and school improvement plans and build a network with other principals to gain support during and beyond the institute experience. Each principal is matched with a trained mentor who helps guide the principal’s work throughout the two-year experience. In the second year, principals include two teacher-leaders from their schools in IPLI seminars to ensure teachers are a part of the process. Fifty principals are invited to participate in the eighth class, which will launch this summer at Indiana State University. Their responsibilities include attending five seminars each year and meeting monthly with their regional focus-cohort group. Principals participating in the two-year program agree to a number of commitments, including attendance at all seminars and focus-cohort meetings.
Application Process
Principals interested in applying for the eighth cohort should apply online at www.indianapli.org. Any individual who is currently employed as a public school principal in the state of Indiana is eligible for nomination. Priority is given to principals with three or more years of experience. Part one of the application is to be completed by the principal. Once submitted, part two of the application will be sent to the superintendent or immediate district-level supervisor of the corporation in which the principal is employed. Nominating a principal implies the superintendent and school board think the principal has the potential to improve their school, are supportive of positive change in the school, and will allow data collection to occur.
Participation Includes
Cohort 8 Dates for 2020-2022
Year 1 Seminars:
Mentoring by trained, highly-qualified mentors; Regional monthly focus-cohort meetings; Five seminars featuring nationally-recognized educational leaders; Access to resources to support the needs of principals and their schools including Marzano High Reliability Schools™ Network; Membership in the Indiana Association of School Principals and Ed Leaders Network; Registration for the IASP Fall Professionals Conference; An opportunity to enroll in 12 graduate credits toward the Indiana State University Educational Specialist's program at a significantly reduced tuition rate; and 45 Professional Growth Points (PGP) for each year of participation.
Corporation Commitment
A one-time financial contribution of $1000 from the school corporation will provide motivation to the principal to participate with fidelity and integrity, as well as demonstrate corporation willingness to support the principal.
Questions?
Contact IPLI Program Coordinator, Lori Davis at lori.davis@indstate.edu, 812-237-2932
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July 14-15, 2020: Summer Seminar at ISU September 23, 2020: Indianapolis November 23, 2020: In conjunction with the IASP Fall Professionals Conference in Indianapolis January 27, 2021: Indianapolis April 14, 2021: Indianapolis
Year 2 Seminars:
July 7-8, 2021: Summer Seminar at ISU September 21, 2021: Indianapolis November 22, 2021: In conjunction with the IASP Fall Professionals Conference in Indianapolis January 25, 2022: Indianapolis April 12, 2022: Indianapolis
Resources
In addition to the targeted work with each cohort, IPLI is committed to serving as a resource for all Indiana principals, their schools, and their school communities. This includes sharing research, providing access to leadership assessments, and offering tools to support school leaders. IPLI’s website, www.indianapli.org, serves as the clearinghouse for this information.
Non-Location Specific
Variety of Timely Topics
Best Practice Professional Development Model Connect Educators to:
Peers
No Cost to Participants
IDOE Staff
Field Experts
Professional Growth Plan points may be awarded for participation at the discretion of the educator’s school district or, by following these steps for non-practicing teachers. @EducateIN
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Riley Hospital Kids Caring & Sharing Update Riley Research Rises Riley Hospital/IU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics now ranks sixth in the nation for federal funding among all departments of pediatrics. Riley’s rapid climb in research is only possible because of donors. In 2019, Riley Children’s Foundation granted $14.5 million to the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Riley Hospital’s research facility. Pediatric Research and Patient Care remains the top fundraising priority of Be the Hope NOW: The Campaign for Kids, which will conclude in June 2020. Unrestricted KCS school gifts supporting research initiatives at Riley total more than $2.6 million since the 2015-16 school year. Unrestricted K-12 school gifts received through June 30, 2020 will add to and close out our five-year campaign total! Federal research funding is increasingly difficult to obtain, particularly in pediatrics. It is because of your philanthropic support that Riley’s research team is empowered to recruit talented investigators and help them get innovative projects off the ground. The funds we raise at Riley Children’s Foundation are used to provide Riley researchers with the fuel they need to launch new trials and ultimately obtain larger grants. Every dollar donated to Riley research results in approximately $10 in additional funding. These gifts are leading to tangible progress in pediatric medicine, which translates to young lives saved and better quality of life for survivors of childhood disease. Thank you to all of the generous school families who share in this victory for children. Hospital Visitor Restrictions in Place Riley Hospital visitor restrictions are in place through flu season as of December 20, 2019. School tours will not be scheduled before April 1, 2020, or until conditions change. Please visit the KCS Google Drive for a video tour of Riley Hospital to support your school family’s philanthropic interests. You Still Have Time to Plan a KCS Fundraiser! School gifts for the 2019-2020 school year are due by June 30, 2020. To help you in your fundraising efforts, the KCS Guidebook and other resources are online at www.rileykids.org/ways-to-fundraise/kids-caring-sharing. html. You can also set up an online giving page for your school by visiting Donate.RileyKids.org/KCS. If you have any questions about the KCS Guidebook or the other resources found in the KCS Google Drive, please contact Susan Miles, Kids Caring & Sharing™ Officer at Riley Children’s Foundation, at SMiles@ RileyKids.org or 317.759.6951.
Become a Kids Caring and Sharing school Visit www.KidsCaringAndSharing.org
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Platinum Corporate Sponsor
Standard For Success Featured on Public Television Exciting times for SFS! This summer we had the opportunity to participate in a Public Television documentary on teacher evaluation and feedback. The Information Matrix, hosted by Laurence Fishburne, featured Standard For Success in a series of interviews on the process of giving constructive feedback to teachers. The full-length program will be airing soon, with short commercials featured on Fox Business Channel, CNN, PBS, CNBC, MSNBC and Fox News. To view a three-minute excerpt, visit http://bit.ly/2NtB1oA
BETTER TEACHERS. BETTER STUDENTS. BETTER WORLD.
Standard For Success is the industry standard solution for teacher evaluation. An independent company, built and staffed by former teachers and administrators, Standard For Success delivers powerful, personalized software and services solutions that lead to better teachers, better students, and a better world. Learn more at StandardForSuccess.com, call us at 844-SFS-EVAL, or scan this code with your phone camera to schedule a demo.
Thank You to our Corporate Sponsors:
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Secretaries Conference March 13, 2020
8:00am to 2:30pm Valle Vista Golf & Conference Center Greenwood, Indiana
Come and Let Us Celebrate What You Do For Our Schools!
♦ Secretary of the Year Luncheon ♦ Door Prizes ♦ Breakout Sessions and more...
Nomination Form
Register by going online at www.iasp.org Cost: $129 Save $30 by registering before March 1st!
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The Horace Mann/IASP Secretary Awards Recognize Your Secretary!
expectations...someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty...someone who you and your school can't live without? assistant for one of 5 awards that will be presented during the 2020 Secretaries Conference.
• Secretary of the Year • Above and Beyond Award
• Leadership Award • Service Award
• Compassion Award
The nonimation form is online at www.iasp.org The Nomination Period Ends February 21st!
Aspiring Principals Conference April 17-18, 2020 Indianapolis, IN
What is it? A unique opportunity for anybody considering a career in building level leadership. Facilitated by principal-practitioners, this two-day conference will expose participants to the special challenges and opportunities in this fast- paced role. Features include: ♦ Practical information ♦ Networking opportunities ♦ Access to outstanding leaders ♦ Interviewing Tips
♦ Resource materials ♦ Mock Interview ♦ Dinner/Breakfast/Lunch
Facilitators include: 2019 Principals of the Year ♦ Ashlee Bruggenschmidt, Sharon Elementary School, Newburgh ♦ Matthew Clifford, Greensburg Jr. High School, Greensburg ♦ Thomas Harmas, Carmel High School, Carmel Where is it? MSD Lawrence Township, 6501 Sunnyside Road, Indianapolis, IN 46236
Register Now First Name_____________________ Last Name _______________________ Tag Name ________________________ Position______________________ Email_________________________________________School DOE #_________ School____________________________________ Address _______________________________________________ City/State/ Zip______________________________Recommended by: (Principal’s Name) _______________________ Registration Cost (____) @ $199.00 – fee includes an IASP Aspiring Principals membership for the 2020–2021 school year! Method of payment: Check (payable to IASP) ____ Purchase order # ________________ Master Card/Visa_________________________________________ Exp Date______Billing Address_____________________________ _______________________________________________________ Signature________________________________________________ For directions or online registration visit our website at www.iasp.org Please return this form and payment by April 15, 2020 to: IASP 11025 East 25th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46229
Cancellation/ Refund Policy Refunds or credits will be given only for cancellations made in writing (mail, fax, or email) to Terilyn Hoke thoke@iasp.org no later than five business days prior to the conference date. Cancellations received within five days of the conference may receive a refund, less 50 percent to cover meals/administrative costs. No refunds will be given for “no shows” or cancellations received on the day of the conference.
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Indiana School Breakfast Task Force The No Kid Hungry Campaign No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. The Indiana School Breakfast Task Force is led by No Kid Hungry Indiana and supported by local, state and national partners.
E-mail Tarrah Westercamp at twestercamp@strength.org to get involved and see what resources are available to support your school.
Visit state.nokidhungry.org/indiana/breakfast to learn more about our work.
Sign up to receive updates on the latest Breakfast Task Force work, including additional funding opportunities and resources.
Indiana School Breakfast Task Force partners are offering grants to support increasing school breakfast participation across the state. Access available grants.
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The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards selects 102 student volunteers to earn $1,000 scholarships across the nation.
Here are your 2020 Indiana recipients!
STATE HONOREES Margaret Dimmett, Zionsville Emily Graves, La Porte
DISTINGUISHED FINALISTS Adam Akan, Dyer Doonyah Alucozai, West Lafayette Emma Dillon, Franklin Julia Hamblen, Shelbyville Elayna Hasty, Angola Julia Keibler, Crandall
Read more at http://spirit.prudential.com.
IASP Welcomes New Vice-President
IASP is pleased to welcome Matt Shockley to the position of Vice-President representing the high school level. As a member of the IASP Executive Committee, Matt will serve 1-year terms as Vice-President, President-Elect, President, and Past President, and we appreciate the commitment to IASP over the next four years. Matt is currently the Avon High School Principal in the Avon Community School Corporation, and formerly served as the Center Grove High School Principal in Greenwood. Matt began teaching in 1993 at Tipton High School in Special Education and then continued at Tipton through 1999 as a Social Studies Teacher. His administrative experience then began at Tipton as the Assistant Principal before moving to Center Grove in 2001 and served as the High School Assistant Principal for 3 years. Matt received his Bachelor of Arts from Hanover College and his Master of Science and Principal Certification from Butler University in 1999. Matt has been active with IASP by serving on the Board of Directors since 2016, helping facilitate the Aspiring Principals Conference and the New Administrators Conference, and also presenting at the IASP Fall Conference as well as the NASSP National Conference. His most recent involvement was serving on the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet CTE Work Group. In 2009 Mat was named the StateLevel High School Principal of the Year by the IASP Blue Ribbon Committee. Matt is highly involved with his church where he has held numerous leadership positions. Accomplishments at Avon High School include being named an Indiana Four Star School in 2016-17 and 2017-18, increasing the number of AP exams taken along with being recognized by the Indiana DOE with the Indiana AP Access and Success Award. Their high school graduation rate exceeds 97% and their College Career Readiness Achievement has increased from 60% to 78% in just five years. Avon Community School Corporation Superintendent, Dr. Margaret Hoernemann remarked, “Matt makes all of us better. Exemplary character, great sense of humor and reflective practice are the hallmarks of his work.” Clearly IASP is in great hands as Matt joins the Executive Committee over the next four years. Congratulations Matt and thank you for your leadership!
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The IASP App is here! Download for Android “Indiana Association of School Principals” or for Apple iOS “IASP Mobile App” Register by using your email and creating your password.
Edit your Profile and select which Notifications to receive – we promise to only send a few!
IASP Welcomes New NASSP State Coordinator IASP is pleased to welcome Dave Strouse to the position of NASSP State Coordinator where he will begin his 3-year term as a member of the Executive Committee this June. The NASSP State Coordinator provides Indiana’s voice at the Federal Level through advocacy and outreach, and then serves as a primary conduit for information from NASSP to Indiana school leaders. Dave is currently the Batesville Middle School Principal in the Batesville Community School Corporation where he has served since 2013. Prior to Batesville, he served as a Junior High and High School Social Studies teacher, the Greensburg Junior High School Assistant Principal, and then the Principal from 2010-2013. Dave has been highly involved with IASP as he previously served as our President in 2017-2018. His years on the Executive Committee (2015-2019) saw IASP grow in membership, conference attendance, programs, and adding Tim McRoberts as the Associate Executive Director. Prior to serving on the Executive Committee, Dave served on the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee. Dave was selected as the District 10 Middle School Principal of the Year and the State-Level Principal of the Year in 2017. He has presented on the RISE Evaluation Model, at the School Safety Specialist Academy and at our own Fall Professionals Conference. He has facilitated the Aspiring Principals Conference and both the AP and Fall Conference. The Batesville Community School Corporation Superintendent Paul Ketcham observed in his letter of recommendation, “Dave embraces input from all stakeholders, colleagues, and professional organizations. He pushes himself to learn and improve as a leader continually, and his teachers and students flourish because of his desire to improve for them.” We look forward to Dave’s leadership of IASP through his service to NASSP. Dave’s experience in advocating for principals at the state and national level make him a great fit for this opportunity and we know Indiana will be well-represented at the national level. Thanks, Dave, for your continued commitment and service to Indiana school leaders!
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Ball State Online
Francesca Varga Ball State Principal’s License Student Online Master’s in Educational Administration and Principal’s License
Student of principal’s license program teaches others how to lessen the learning gap. Francesca Varga is associate director for blended learning with the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program. She coaches teachers, building leaders, and principals on best practices, with the goal of closing the achievement gap between majority and marginalized student populations. She’s convinced that Ball State’s online principal’s licensure program improved her instructional leadership skills. The instruction I received through this program was some of the best instruction I have ever received in my academic career.
Register for webinar at bsu.edu/online/edadmin March 25 | 4 p.m. Eastern Contact Casey Schultz, Academic Advisor, today: cmschultz@bsu.edu
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Student Teaching Study Abroad: Preparing Standout Teaching Candidates by Nick Elam, Assistant Professor At Ball State University
During my time as a school principal, I took great pride in the hiring process. I knew that my selection of teachers would be among the most important decisions I would make for my school. When screening applicants, I considered many important factors, including the settings in which they had taught previously. When reviewing the background of an early-career teacher, I also considered the setting in which they completed their student teaching. At the time, I saw added value in applicants whose previous teaching experiences were in settings similar to the school I was leading, with respect to size, demographics, educational standards and accountability measures, geography, etc. If I had a healthy pool of applicants, I would tend to shy away from applicants whose previous teaching experiences were in greatly different settings. I am very proud of the teachers I eventually hired, but looking back, I believe I was too quick to pass over applicants whose experiences were in greatly different settings. Specifically, I now believe there is great value among those who completed their student teaching abroad. If you see such an experience on a resume that comes across your desk, I encourage you to give the applicant serious consideration. My view has changed, in part, after seeing the body of research regarding the benefits of student teaching abroad, including in school settings very different from those in the United States. These benefits include becoming more student-centered and having better communication skills in the classroom (Celik, 2017); greater understanding and ability to adapt to new working cultures and different approaches to teaching and learning (Kabilan, 2013); development of multi-cultural competencies (Sharma, Phillion, & Malewski, 2011); higher level of self-efficacy and self-confidence, a better understanding of oneself, and greater empathy for others (Cushner, 2007). My view changed even more so after having a wonderful opportunity to serve as university supervisor during the Spring 2019 semester for a group of Ball State University student teachers completing their program abroad – a program that combines the best of both worlds, including the benefits of student teaching abroad mentioned above, and a school setting that is surprisingly similar to those here in the United States. For over 15 years, BSU has proudly partnered with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA, formerly DoDDS) to place student teachers in their schools in Germany. Specifically, in the program’s early days, BSU student teachers were placed in the schools on or near Army Garrison Baumholder. Currently, BSU student teachers are placed in DoDEA schools within the Kaiserslautern Military Community, primarily at Ramstein Air Base. These schools serve the children of the military servicemen and -women stationed there. As university supervisor, I saw firsthand that BSU student teachers take great pride in this special placement and responsibility. Furthermore, BSU’s longstanding partnership on a macro-level with DoDEA schools has produced valuable relationships on a micro-level – with individual teachers and administrators. Many of these outstanding teachers themselves are impressed by the competency, work ethic, and attitude of BSU student teachers, and continue to volunteer to serve as mentor teachers. In turn, I was able to see firsthand the outstanding teaching practices and insight at the heart of student teachers’ development, as part of BSU’s rigorous program rooted in InTASC standards, continual goal-setting and reflection, project development and implementation, and student assessment and progress-monitoring. Beyond this, I witnessed firsthand, and quickly grew to admire, the character within each of these student teachers. Student teaching is challenging in any setting, and these student teachers embraced the additional challenge of doing so abroad. They formed close bonds with each other and with their mentor teachers, and enjoyed valuable travel experiences on the weekends and breaks to further promote their growth. As the research suggests, other universities with student teaching study abroad programs are also likely to produce strong teaching candidates. And if they are bold enough to pursue the challenge of student teaching abroad, they just might be bold enough to always do what is best for kids. That’s a good fit in any school. REFERENCES Çelik, B. (2017). The effects of working abroad on the development of teaching skills. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 4(3), 212-215. Cushner, K. (2007). The role of experience in the making of the internationally-minded teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 34(1), 27-39. Kabilan, M. K. (2013). A phenomenological study of an international teaching practicum: Pre-service teachers’ experiences of professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 36, 198-209. Sharma, S., Phillion, J. , Malewski, E. (2011). Examining the practice of critical reflection for developing pre-service teachers’ multicultural competencies: Findings from a study abroad program in Honduras. Issues in Teacher Education, 20(2), 9-22.
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JULY 7–9, 2020 | NATIONAL HARBOR • MD
IT’S YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Your students and staff are your top priority—and the best way you can lead effectively is to stop and reflect on your leadership. Join fellow school leaders at the National Principals Conference (NPC) for content-filled sessions and networking-fueled breaks that will give you the time you need to energize your career and improve your school. It’s time to invest in yourself.
REGISTER TODAY | principalsconference.org/early
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Spotlight on Service-Learning Serving Up Safer Schools by: Beth Smith, Consultant, INSPIRE3
Service-learning as a method for creating safer schools? A lot of educators are more than a little puzzled by this idea; however, research on the benefits and effects of service-learning bear this idea out. School safety is defined as schools and school-related activities where students are safe from violence, bullying, harassment, and substance use. Service-learning promotes perspective taking (the ability to look beyond one’s own point of view and consider how someone else may think or feel about something), anti-bullying, development of empathy, and diverse viewpoints – all are practices which promote school safety and a positive school climate. School climate improvement efforts promote emotional safety. Service-learning supports character education which teaches Social-Emotional Skills. Learning about social and emotional skills can substantially improve students’ physical and emotional safety. How does service-learning specifically promote school safety? We know that Social-Emotional Learning is the process through which people learn to recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships, and avoid negative behaviors. Students can acquire these healthy SEL skills through service-leaning because they are practiced during the service-learning process, and these same skills are most firmly established when they can be put into a variety of real-life settings and situations- another benefit of servicelearning. It is also true that SEL can significantly counter the risk factors that give rise to a host of unhealthy behaviors, including substance abuse, violence and failure in school. At the same time, SEL can increase the capacity of all students to become “knowledgeable, responsible, caring, productive, nonviolent and contributing members of society”. Servicelearning teaches and reinforces social-emotional learning, ethics, and leadership in students by: • Identifying the RIGHT things to do • Identifying NEEDS and appropriate ACTIONS • Becoming CIVICALLY involved • Understanding PHILANTHROPY and WHY WE GIVE • Understanding that it is MY JOB to MAKE A DIFFERENCE When students are engaged in service-learning they are able to see the impact they can have on others, which can affect everything from empathy, perspective taking, and self-esteem — and can even protect against problem behaviors in participating students. Learning to Give has lessons that can help build empathy and promote a positive school culture. By conducting a search of the website with the keyword “empathy” users will find hundreds of lessons that tie empathy with instruction and service-learning projects. One example is the lesson, Creating a Welcoming Classroom All Year. Students gain empathy and use language to describe the mixed feelings that come with being new to a community. They watch and discuss video clips and compare character traits. Then they read a book and discuss how the book guides them to welcome new students to the classroom as the year progresses. As a service, they create coupon books for new students to use to get to know classroom routines and people. Also found on the Learning to Give website are a comprehensive Anti-bullying curriculum and Character Education units that promote positive relationships, social-emotional learning, and application of philanthropic principles. To locate lessons and project ideas that promote positive behaviors and service-learning projects to promote kindness, go to the Service-Learning Toolkit to Grow Kindness. Ryan Adams and Sydnie Reed, educators at Akron Elementary School, developed an all-school kindness and empathy initiative. Educators and students spread kindness throughout their school by creating and wearing #BeKind shirts to promote unity and to help spread their message. Utilizing three lessons from Learning to Give - Kindness Certificate, Helping Others to Feed Themselves, Philanthropy or Kindness?, the students learned about philanthropy and what it means to care for others. They then developed and implemented various acts of kindness in their school and around the community. The initiative helped to make the school culture positive, to promote kindness, to develop unity in the school and community, and to reduce bullying incidents.
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Spotlight on Service-Learning Serving Up Safer Schools Lana Dillon, FACS teacher at Benjamin Rush Middle School utilized the Learning to Give lesson A Plethora of Philanthropy with 8th grade students to help them understand the value in giving back to their community and fellow man. Through her FACS class, students cut out fabric and hand sewed heart-shaped pillows to give to children in the emergency room at the local hospital. Ms. Dillon shared that the students were excited about this service-learning project and the idea of helping children in a difficult situation. She said, “They tried their best to make an attractive, well-made pillow to give away.” One of the participating students stated, “You know, doing this really makes me feel good about myself! I am helping a little child!” We can serve up safer schools and help students to develop lifelong positive character traits, behaviors, leadership skills, and empathy. Any service-learning project will teach, practice, and reinforce positive social-emotional skills and help students see that it is “my job to make a difference”. To see many more project ideas that have been completed around the state, visit the Snapshots of Service-Learning on the IASP website. You will find some inspiring ways to serve up safer schools for your school or district! Connect with INSPIRE3 by filling out this short form HERE to be added to our INSPIRE3database and this form can also be used to Request Updated Information that is listed on the form. Our INSPIRE3 program also provides Indiana educators with free professional development to introduce them to free resources, assist with project ideation, connections to existing curriculum, and supports their service-learning projects with our program’s mini-grants. For more information, contact Joan Belschwender, Director INSPIRE3 joan.inspire3@iasp.org. Contact Beth Smith, Educational Consultant INSPIRE3, for information about our program’s free professional development beth.inspire3@iasp.org. Explore the free resources on Learning to Give and generationOn to find meaningful ways to serve others and give meaning to content, help students discover their passions, and help them develop empathy through incorporation of service-learning into the existing content. Visit the INSPIRE3 page on the IASP website here and on the IMLEA website here for more resources.
NAESP: Advocacy Update
NAESP is actively advocating for principals and students across our country including current legislation regarding youth vaping and are always assisting in the fight for federal funding. If you are interested in becoming an advocate on the federal level or want more information on NAESP’s advocacy program, please visit NAESP’s Advocacy Action Center at https://www.naesp.org/advocacy Fiscal Year 202 Budget Signed into Law In late December 2019, Congress passed and the president signed an FY20 budget that funds the Department of Education (ED) through September 2020. The bill increases ED funding by $1.4 billion—the third largest increase for the department since FY11. The final bill provides a lower allocation than the House-passed bill, which increased ED funding by $4.4 billion, but it provides more than the Senate allocation, which increased funding by $223 million. One bright spot in this bill: Title, II-A received $2.1 billion, an increase of $76 million over 2019 levels. Though the FY20 budget provides a decent funding boost to education programs for 2020, NAESP has already begun pushing for ESSA-authorized levels in FY21. The president’s FY21 budget is slated to be released in early February, with hopes that a final budget can be approved and signed by the president by late summer, ahead of the November elections. NAESP will be actively meeting with budget committee staff to push for higher allocations to the Ed-Labor-Health appropriation bill, which sets the funding levels for the Department of Education. Youth Vaping Legislation NAESP is actively lobbying Congress to take action against the youth e-cigarette public health crisis. More than 5.3 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2019, an alarming increase of more than 3 million in two years. The use of e-cigarettes places a new generation at risk of nicotine addiction and tobacco use. NAESP has joined other education and public health groups to advocate for the passage of H.R. 2339, the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019. Most important, the legislation would remove flavored vaping and tobacco products from the market. In a recent survey, seven out of ten youth said they used e-cigarettes “because they come in flavors I like.” Flavors mask the harsh taste of tobacco and make it easier for kids to become addicted. It is critical for members of Congress to hear from their constituents—especially parents and educators—on the importance of advancing H.R. 2339.
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Situation Briefs by Dave Emmert, Esq., Emmert School Consulting The following issues have been presented to this writer in the recent past by school administrators. The summary responses are shared to improve administrator recognition of problem areas and to give a brief legal background to assist in problem resolution. Consultation with the school attorney is very important because each situation is different and the law to be applied is more complex than what is revealed in these responses. This column is intended for informational purposes and should not be viewed as legal advice. Dave may be contacted on his cell at 317-432-4514 and on the web at davidjemmert@gmail.com.
Issue: I am the principal at ___ Junior High in ____ and I was wondering if you could explain the Form 16 and how it can or could be used in schools. I have been several places and worked under several administrations that have interpreted the form many different ways. One question that we have is whether to be on a Form 16, does a student currently have to be expelled? Another question is rather than expel a student can we implement a Form 16? Is this possible? What is the benefit to having a student sign a Form 16? What are they waiving their rights to? Response: Form 16 was originally co-drafted by myself and another attorney with the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA) in the mid-1980’s. The latest version drafted by attorneys Lisa Tanselle and Julie Slavens appears in the 2017 ISBA Student Discipline Manual on pages 188 through 191, which includes a “Use of Form” section on page 191 that has nine numbered paragraphs of explanation. This is now called “Form 16A” and is accompanied by “Form 16B,” entitled “Notice of Enforcement of Expulsion and Revocation of Probationary Continued Education Agreement.” Due to your three questions, which are very relevant and addressed below, It appears that you may not have this Manual and/or that you only have the Form 16 without the “Use of Form” section. If your Junior High School does not have the Manual, its purchase from ISBA would be a wise investment. 1. The student does not have to be expelled. The purpose of Form 16 is basically to notify the student and parent that the student’s conduct was an expellable offense, but the building administration is willing to give the student a second chance by allowing him/her to remain in school (either in the regular program or an alternative one) on a probationary status as long as the listed conditions (requirements) are complied with. (It may be used at the very beginning close to when the rule violation occurred, just before or at the expulsion meeting, or just before or at the appeal meeting of the school board.) 2. By the student and parent signing Form 16, they will be voluntarily and knowingly agreeing to its terms and giving up (waiving) the rights stated in the form, which is basically an agreement between them and the building administration which is agreeing to allow the student to remain in school on essentially a probationary status for as long as the agreement is in effect. 3. The benefit of BOTH the student AND the parent VOLUNTARILY signing Form 16 (they may choose not to do so and hence the school may proceed with the expulsion process) is that they are put on both legal and practical notice of what the school expects of the student during the probationary period and what will happen if he/she succeeds or does not succeed. Secondly, the Student Discipline Code at IC 20-33-8-28 REQUIRES a waiver to be signed by BOTH the student and parent to be legally binding/ effective, and the benefit of a waiver that relinquishes due process rights creates a more efficient process to expel the student if one or more of the agreed-upon conditions is/are violated. Issue: Are school board members allowed to have access to school security videos for any purpose other than a recording related to the board member’s child? Response: Individual school board members are given very little legal authority by the Indiana Legislature to act on their own volition on matters involving the school system. One example of the few instances of a grant of direct authority is the one code section that gives the school board president the authority to call a special meeting of the board. There is no provision that gives an individual member the right of access to a student’s “education records,” a term defined by the federal code known as “FERPA,” meaning the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act found at 34 CFR, section 99.1, and following. The Federal Department of Education’s website, https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/faq/what-education-record, describes the term as: “Education records” are records that are directly related to a student and that are maintained by an educational agency or institution or a party acting for or on behalf of the agency or institution. These records
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Situation Briefs include but are not limited to grades, transcripts, class lists, student course schedules, health records (at the K-12 level), student financial information (at the postsecondary level), and student discipline files. The information may be recorded in any way, including, but not limited to, handwriting, print, computer media, videotape, audiotape, film, microfilm, microfiche, and e-mail. Source: 34 CFR § 99.2 Therefore, video recordings that are maintained by the school and that contains identifiable images of students are education records entitled to privacy and viewable only by the parents, students who are at least 18 years of age, and school employees who have legitimate educational interests in such records, unless written consent is given by the parent or age 18-or-greater student. An individual school board member in his or her role as a member would have no right of access to a student’s education record unless (1) the student in question is the child of the member or (2) the student’s parent (or age-18-and-above student) grants written consent to that member. However, one exception in FERPA might apply to allow any person, whether a school board member or a media reporter, to view student records that are classified as “directory information” by the school and given notice in the student handbook. This would include such language as photographs, and/or pictures, videos, etc. Therefore, if your school has adopted and given notice of your “directory information” exception to FERPA that lists any terms that applies to the visual image of a student being exempt from the privacy requirements of this law, such video, for example, is not protected by FERPA and could be viewed by anyone. Hallway and parking lot videos as well as those related to sporting or musical events would fall into the unprotected categories that would not require consent, unless, of course, the videos are being kept/maintained for disciplinary purposes of any student in the video. You will need to review the language in your directory information section of your FERPA notice to students and parents to see if your school has listed visual images of students (regardless of what specific term is used) in this exempt category of records where consent is not required before being viewed. If such is/are listed, then they are no protected from disclosure by this federal law and, therefore, any person wanting to inspect and or copy them may do so under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA) at IC 5-14-3, sections 1 through 10. Issue: Earlier today, it was brought to my attention that a doctored picture of me was posted to Snapchat. In the picture, I am holding a piece of paper that says “I have sex with my students.” The real picture, obviously with something different written on the paper, was actually posted in our building for a period of time last year. The information that I received indicates that a student altered this image and then shared it on Snapchat. I do not know that this behavior took place on school grounds (likely not). We do have the following two portions of our student hand book that I feel would apply: Cyberbullying [H.S. Name] will not accept any type of cyberbullying. Our Schools do not support social media entries that are cruel, harmful, threatening or demonstrate a likelihood of causing a disruption to the school day or any school-sponsored event. Prohibited behavior includes fake profiles, embarrassing pictures or videos of students or staff, threatening or harassing texts or other electronic communications that fit these criteria. The administration reserves the right to investigate such entries that might cause a disruption to the school setting. If there is a clear link to a substantial disruption of the school day/event, the administration may take formal action through suspension or expulsion, and/or may report the incident to police. Students may pursue civil remedies for defamation and/or intentional infliction of emotional distress. In addition, a student committing an act that violates Indiana or Federal law at any time or place may be suspended or expelled if the unlawful act is directed toward a school employee, student, or board member; arises out of a school relationship; or has caused or can be predicted to cause in-school consequences. Can you advise on the most appropriate course of action to take, assuming we are able to prove which student posted this image?
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Situation Briefs Response: These two paragraphs apply on the surface, but there are some issues that need to be addressed. In the first one regarding cyberbullying, it uses the term “disruption,” and then later on uses the harder-toprove term, “substantial disruption.” I believe that in order to succeed, therefore, you are going to have to have evidence that the disruption caused by this action was substantial, e.g., you were arrested, terminated, suspended, warned of potential job jeopardy, or patrons or parents are calling for your discipline. Also, if it appears that the statement is so ridiculous that no one would believe its truth or accuracy, this is a definite obstacle in trying to discipline the student. In the second paragraph regarding an unlawful action, the issue is whether or not this statement violated criminal or civil law. I am not enough of a criminal law expert to know if a statement accusing someone of a sex crime, is a crime in and of itself. Secondly, an intentionally false statement is the civil law violation of negligence or fraud, but you would may have the burden of proving damages such as a loss of salary through discharge or a suspension. However, as I best recall, a negligent or fraudulent statement regarding an improper sex act is legally viewed as damages per se, meaning automatic and the jury in your lawsuit would determine the amount. I believe that Indiana still has a law that makes parents liable up to $5,000 in damages for a tortious injury caused by the child under the age of 18 who is still living with the parent. (As in the foregoing paragraph, I believe you would also have the burden here to prove that the communication was believable.) So, depending on the facts that have developed since you emailed me or that you omitted, this will ultimately determine if you have a solid legal rout to go. If it does not look good in this regard, you may be better off working out a practical solution with the particular student (and perhaps, parent) such as a warning or a written public statement admitting the falsity of the communication and making an apology. Issue: A student found this image on a student’s public Snap Chat story. The man in the image is one of our 5th grade teachers (he’s unnamed in the image). The images were posted outside of the school day using a personal device. I would like to issue 3 days of In School Suspension for being disrespectful to a teacher (even if he is in another building) and mocking someone’s sexual orientation. The story received about 19 views, but was made public for anyone to see from his feed. At this time, there hasn’t been any major disruption to the school day, other than some of our students in the school’s Gay-Straight-Alliance group bringing it to my attention out of concern. While I know that students may make fun of teachers or complain about them publicly, and have a first amendment right do so outside of school, this seems to cross a line by trying to ridicule a teacher in our community based on sexual orientation (regardless of whether it is accurate or not). Do I have jurisdiction over this area? Response: In my view, the following two sections of the Indiana Student Discipline Code reflect the Legislature’s intent to limit the areas of public schools’ disciplinary outreach. Had this student’s action occurred within the places designated in Section 14(b), or had the statements about the teacher have been knowingly or recklessly false so as to constitute the common law tort of defamation and thus unlawful, your school would have been on solid ground to suspend him. But where the action was ridicule, and not unlawful, and occurred outside of the three indicated areas in Section 14, a disciplinary suspension would not be upheld if challenged in my opinion. Also, I believe such discipline would more likely than not run afoul of the 14th Amendment Due Process Clause due to a breach of the student’s substantive due process protection. Hence, I do not see you as having jurisdiction in this situation. I complement you on being wise enough to get a legal opinion. Issue: Lately, I am getting a lot of requests from pastors to come to my school and pass out religious flyers. Is this legal? Response: As we know, the Establishment of Religion Clause of the First Amendment requires governmental bodies, like public schools, to be neutral toward religion. So, on the surface it would appear that if a school linked with religious groups to deliver their material to children, it would be promoting religion and, hence, violating the Establishment Clause. However, courts have recognized that if a public school has a policy or practice of permitting outside groups
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Situation Briefs to bring printed material to school for distribution to students, First Amendment free expression rights would be violated for denying a certain group distribution rights based on the content of their material, unless the school would have a compelling reason to deny the group. For example, if the group promotes hate, violence, or illegal activity, this would be a sufficient basis for denial. I advise you to first check school board policy or the superintendent’s administrative regulation, either formal or informal, with regard to outside material distribution in the schools of your system. If the policy or practice is not to distribute, then a closed forum does not violate expression rights. But if an open forum, or partially open forum, is in effect, then the First Amendment applies and refusing to allow religious groups to distribute MAY be found a violation. The legal analysis here can get very tricky, depending upon the specific facts of the exact type of material being distributed, and for what purpose. For example, if the policy/practice is to only allow outside groups with whom the school has a working partnership to distribute material for the educational benefit of children, then denial of, say, religious tracts being distributed would most likely be valid. If there is no overall arching school system policy/practice, then your building’s policy/practice would be what would determine the outcome of the analysis. Issue: Could you clarify the process for a special education student under an expulsion that opts for a waiver of due process to continue their education on a probationary status? Specifically, what would be the proper action should that student violate the terms of the waiver agreement? We held the manifestation determination for the initial infraction and determined that discipline may move forward; then we offered the waiver agreement. However, should the student violate the agreement, there is disagreement among us on if a new manifestation determination must be held for the infraction that violated the agreement prior to invoking the expulsion. The parent and student agree to waive all of their statuary and constitutional rights to due process once the agreement is in place. Does this negate the need for a new “MD” (for the new infraction) if the agreement is violated? I’ve attached the language we use in our waiver agreement for your reference. Response: I talked with an IDEA expert who is of the opinion that (1) the general waiver provision of the ISBA Form 16 is limited to the Indiana statutory due process code, not the federal IDEA, and (2) since the IDEA requires the manifestation determination process for misconduct that will result in removal for more than 10 days, the second act of misconduct that violated the probationary agreement would cause removal for more than 10 days, and hence is required to have the manifestation process. Issue: If we find a student with a vaping device (or any paraphernalia) on their persons, does that give us the right to require the student to take a drug test? In our current handbook, we only drug test if they are caught smoking/vaping the device, not merely possession. Response: In my opinion, an involuntary drug test (meaning a required one) would not meet the legal test of reasonable suspicion to believe that he had ingested drugs on the day in question or was under the influence of such. However, if you through, talking with the student, would result in his/her willingly agreeing to do it of his/ her own free will, without any coercion whatsoever, it would be valid. In this situation, I advise that there be another adult with you to validate the fact that it was non-coercive. For example, if you offer an incentive, such as the lessening or avoidance of discipline for the possession of the device, this would be deemed a voluntary decision to undergo the testing.
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