IPS announces task force after video shows teacher recording attack on student

INDIANAPOLIS — At an agenda-setting meeting Tuesday night, the Indianapolis Public Schools Board of Commissioners announced they will form a task force focused on student safety.

The announcement, in a statement read Tuesday night, says the decision stems from the video a former teacher allegedly recorded of a student attacking another student as part of a "fight-club" style of discipline.

The letter reads:

Like the entire IPS community, we are shocked and upset by the video of the former teacher at School 87. This behavior is alarming, and hard for anyone to watch — but we know it’s especially close to home for the parents and caregivers of IPS students, which includes four of us on this Board. Every Indianapolis family should be able to send their children to school with full confidence that caring adults are looking out for their wellbeing.

To the many voices in our community that have weighed in, I want to express my gratitude. Our community’s voices are critically important. They have driven crucial conversations with the IPS team, as we work together with Dr. Johnson on solutions and next steps. We will continue to focus on understanding and action over the coming days and weeks, and ask the community to know this: you’ve been heard, your voices are valued, and ensuring our children’s safety is all of our most important job as adults.

As Superintendent Dr. Johnson said, we must work together to prevent something like this from ever happening again. Dr. Johnson has already announced important district actions — IPS is reviewing protocols around how principals communicate with families and bringing on an external partner to interview families and staff at School 87. As a Board, we will be creating a new task force focused on student safety. We will share more with you on this as the work progresses. We want our kids to be safe wherever they are, and that means having discussions about the violence in our communities, including the impacts of everything from bullying to gun violence.

This work will require collective action from us as board members and from district administrators, school leaders, and IPS staff — and YOU, the people who chose us to serve. In the coming days, weeks, and months ahead, we will be working hand-in-hand with Dr. Johnson and members of the community to understand what changes must happen. We are grateful for your input and your patience and grace in this process — our promise is to report back on this work in 30 days and continue to share ways you can get involved

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