IndyStar. - District 91��Ƭistration

How schools punished students after thousands walked out to protest ICE

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:47:27 +0000

As students flocked out of schools to protest federal immigration enforcement this past month, school leaders were forced to grapple with how to maintain student safety, enforce policies and appease pressure from conservative leaders.

Beforehand, many high schools warned students to follow handbook policies, but it was unclear just how intensely punishments would be applied.

At the same time, unsubstantiated rumors swirled on social media that alleged local schools were taking severe actions, such as preemptive school closures, mass suspensions, multi-day detentions and prohibiting students from walking at graduation.

U.S. News & World Report says this Indiana high school is among the best in the nation

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:57:35 +0000

The U.S. News & World Report released its list of best public high schools for the 2025-26 school year, and one Indiana school made the Top 10 for the best schools in the nation.

This year’s rankings evaluated nearly 24,000 public high schools and ranked nearly 18,000 of them.

The ranks are determined by six indicators, which are weighted and then calculated into a 0-100 overall score for the school’s performance across all metrics.

Indiana kids, farmers lose funding as US91��Ƭ suspends farm to school grants for 2025

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:32:09 +0000

Another federal program meant to help deliver local fresh produce to students is being delayed after funding for this year’s Farm to School grants was suspended.

The United States Department of Agriculture alerted schools last week that fiscal year 2025 grants for the Patrick Leahy Farm to School program had been canceled, preventing millions of dollars from flowing to local school districts or local agencies across the country.

The yearly competitive Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program was started in 2013.

Confusion, anger in battle against chronic truancy in Indiana’s public schools

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 15:27:08 +0000

The messages come in many forms. Emails, texts, automated phone calls. They start simply enough. “Reaching out because (child’s name) has three unexcused absences. Please see the attached document for the attendance policy.”

They quickly become more stern and sometimes threatening, mentioning reporting families to the county prosecutor or Indiana Department of Child Services for further absences.

Ideally, Indiana schools don’t want to see kids missing more than around 5 school days per year. Once a student reaches four unexcused absences, a DCS social worker is ordered to make a home visit. At five unexcused absences, the parent meets with the school’s principal to complete an attendance plan.