Recent protests against racism and police brutality are prompting more people to talk about racial justice and equity, and advocates say those efforts have to include teachers in Indiana.

All Indiana teachers collectively won the 2021 Teacher of the Year in recognition of the challenges each face during the pandemic, the state education department said Tuesday.

The new order says schools can use a teacher's evaluation from last year, or conduct a new one. If it's new, they can't use test scores or observations unless those were done while classes were still meeting in person.

As Hoosiers prepared to hunker down for Gov. Eric Holcombs stay-at-home order, some teachers in east central Indiana decided to see their young students in-person one more time, from a safe distance.

Indiana's state tests have changed half a dozen times for students in the past decade, and with so much on the line, teachers, schools -- and families -- are trying to keep up.

Teachers once again gathered at the Statehouse, following up on their Red for Ed rally in November. The Indiana Coalition for Public Education demanded action from legislators.

The bill requires training in weapons, legal ramifications, 911 calls and a mental health evaluation. It also requires 16 hours of renewal training each year.

Indiana teachers and schools will be shielded from penalties from last year's poor statewide standardized test scores.

The bill would require educators and staff who carry guns in school to complete 40 hours of training in a variety of areas, including emergency medical preparation, legal ramifications, and psychological assessment.

A new career awareness training requirement for teachers prompted a wave of pushback this year, with thousands of teachers rushing to renew their licenses before the new requirements went into effect this summer.