INDIANAPOLIS — Tuesday afternoon, Indianapolis Public Schools board members held a special meeting, inviting parents and the community to share their thoughts on two big topics of conversation.
The first was about the district's new Mental Health Task Force. IPS announced this task force after a family filed a lawsuit against the district, saying their son was beat up by a classmate as a teacher recorded the incident.
The board said they are looking to move forward with outside companies to create this task force.
"I want you to think about second graders if you have one — can you imagine a 7-year-old coming home and saying, 'I was called stupid today?' I cannot imagine that," one parent said.
A member of the legal team representing the family said this discussion failed to get to the heart of the matter.
During public comment, parents shared experiences their students had at school and wish this task force was created sooner. They also say they want more transparency on how it will look after the board briefly addressed the topic.
"Community engagement is clearly lacking, so why are we steam-rolling these two topics right here and right now?" IPS parent Joanne Puckett said.
The second topic in this meeting was how IPS plans to address the education opportunity gap.
Parents say they have sent letters to the board expressing how they want the district to close the gap. Those letters are centered around Resolution 8020.
In this resolution, the board says they understand the need for collaboration to provide a better learning environment for all students.
The resolution states, in part:
- The board re-affirms the need for more clarity and collaboration among public schools of all types. This includes charter and innovation schools within the IPS boundary that will best serve all families.
- The district will collect data on the climate and culture of the schools and provide it publicly.
- The district is committed to creating a strategic planning process by November 2024 in collaboration with the administration so families are informed and are able to provide feedback.
Many parents at the special meeting say they are in support in this resolution, saying they have seen positive effects on their kids in schools like this.
Parents who are not in support say the district is wasting money on creating these schools and needs to focus on the ones in the district now.
"Sadly, I think it's very telling that we have heard over 1,000 people have supported the resolution and 200 have asked you to pause, out of thousands and thousands of families," Puckett said.
The board met with parents one-on-one to hear their concerns and what revisions they would want to see to this resolution. Parents and board members both say there needs to be a greater focus on students and their success.
There was no final vote on this resolution, and the board will revisit it on June 13. After there is a vote, the resolution will go to the administration.