Indiana schools go virtual for teacher protests Monday. IPS, Pike cancel in-person class

Updated Sunday, April 13 10:09 PM

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Indianapolis Public Schools and Metropolitan School District of Pike Township are moving to e-learning Monday, as teachers across the state plan to leave classrooms and converge on the Statehouse to demand greater funding for public schools and protest policy changes that could shift local dollars to charter schools.

Indianapolis Public Schools, which has been at the center of legislative debates, sent an alert Sunday evening announcing a sudden shift to asynchronous learning for Monday. The change may not affect independently managed schools in the district, including charter schools. Families are advised to check with individual schools for details.

“We recognize that many staff members will be attending a Day of Action at the Indiana Statehouse on Monday, April 14, and we support the advocacy of our staff members, along with the advocacy demonstrated by so many of our families,” the statement from the district said. “Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to identify enough staff coverage to feel confident in our ability to safely operate schools on Monday, April 14, while staff members are out.”

That decision to move to virtual learning was made public just after the district said they would remain in person -- which sparked backlash from the district’s teachers union. The Indianapolis Education Association accused IPS leadership of blocking time-off requests and discouraging staff from participating in the rally, known as the Indiana State Teachers Association’s Day of Action.

Previously, Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said the district weighed multiple factors in its decision not to shift to asynchronous learning, including the limited state-approved virtual days, the hardship last-minute closures pose for families, scheduled ILEARN testing windows, and the financial impact on staff who cannot work remotely.

Because IPS has already used all of the allowed asynchronous days for the year, there will be an extra in-person day added to the end of the school year. The new last day of school for students will be Friday, May 23, and the last day of school for staff will be Tuesday, May 27. 

The rally
The event, organized by the state’s largest teachers union, will bring educators together for advocacy inside the Statehouse. ISTA leaders say they are pushing for increased investment in K-12 education, stronger collective bargaining protections, and changes to the proposed state budget that would better support traditional public schools.

On Monday, some districts are closing buildings or moving to asynchronous learning because of high teacher absences. Pike Township Schools said 184 staff had already requested the day off as of Friday. Monroe County Community School Corp. will also move all K-12 students to independent e-learning for the day. Preschool programs and some special services will remain open in both districts.

Teachers at traditional school districts say they are frustrated with legislation from the GOP supermajority that will affect funding and other education policies. Senate Bill 1 would require districts to share voter-approved property tax funds with charter schools, even if they were not included in the original ballot proposal.

IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson has said legislation could force IPS to close at least 20 schools and cut hundreds of positions. This week the district compromised with lawmakers in a plan to review how the district could partner with charter schools in the city.

School choice advocates want equal funding for all public school students, no matter what type of school they attend.

ISTA leaders say they support certain parts of the current Senate budget proposal, such as slowing the expansion of private school vouchers and reducing funding for virtual schools. But the union argues that the proposed 2 percent increases in tuition support are not enough to meet inflation or help schools compete for staff.

“At a time when Indiana is facing a growing teacher shortage, we need greater investments that support competitive pay and long-term retention,” ISTA said in a statement.

ISTA said it plans to continue pushing for changes until the legislative session ends later this month.

WFYI education reporter Sydney Dauphinais covers Marion County schools. Contact her at sdauphinais@wfyi.org.

Eric Weddle is WFYI's education team editor. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org or follow him on X at @ericweddle.