INDIANAPOLIS— The Indiana Department of Education just released a first-of-its-kind report on how often teachers are hurt on the job.
Indiana school districts reported 3,032 incidents of school employees physically injured on the job by a student during the 2023-2024 school year.
IDOE also reported 485 incidents in which an employee had to miss work because of the injury.
“We want to make sure our students are getting the best education possible,” said Keith Gambill, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA). “That’s only going to happen if we have our best educators there and that they’re able to be on the job and not recovering from an injury.”
House Enrolled Act 1591 took effect July 1, 2023.
The law requires schools to track teacher injuries and report the data to the Indiana Department of Education.
WRTV Investigates has reported on the growing problem of teacher injuries. We found all kinds of injuries — teachers hit, punched, kicked, hair pulled, headbutted and some suffering from concussions.
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In 2023, a student at Franklin Community High School injured a teacher.
Franklin Community Schools reported 9 school employee injury incidents during the 2023-2024 school year.
Other examples of school employee injury incidents:
- MSD Wayne Township 83
- MSD Decatur Township 14
- MSD Pike Township 22
- Lafayette 70
- North West Hendricks 5
- Greenfield-Central 38
- Hamilton Southeastern 72
- Muncie 25
- Plainfield 32
- Southern Hancock 7
- Shelbyville 21
Read the full report here.
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“This is a very positive start because it first recognizes an issue we have now,” said Gambill. “This is the first-time schools have been asked to collect this data. The first time they’re using this process.”
WRTV Investigates is looking into why dozens of school districts are not included in the report including Indianapolis Public Schools, MSD Washington Township, MSD Warren Township and Perry Township Schools.
Both Perry Township and IPS experienced technical problems when trying to upload their data.
"Due to a technical glitch, Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) has experienced a delay in submitting its Indiana School Employee Injury Report for the 2023-2024 school year to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE)," said district spokesperson Marc Ransford. "We are working diligently to resolve that issue and expect to have the report submitted shortly."
IPS will report 90 incidents of staff injuries, according to Ransford.
The bill's author, Rep. Ed Clere (R-New Albany) called it "disappointing" so many schools are not in the report, but said the numbers are important.
"I’ve said all along that we needed this data to inform policymakers, and even though it is incomplete, it should be a wake-up call to all stakeholders," said Clere. "School employees have enough to worry about without having to fear for their physical safety."
STATEMENT FROM INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:
"While IDOE’s School Safety Team will take this data into consideration when crafting future training content, student discipline and overall school safety measures are handled at the local level. Language for this reporting requirement is defined in Indiana Code 20-26-5-42. [iga.in.gov] School employee injury data is reported through Data Exchange, which is the standard data submission mechanism for schools.
Districts not listed in the report either reported zero injuries or did not complete the data submission. In the months leading up to submission, IDOE provided ample guidance and reminders to complete the submission as we do with all data submission requirements. IDOE will continue to provide guidance and reminders for each reporting cycle moving forward. Indiana Code does not provide IDOE with statutory enforcement authority to ensure reporting compliance."
The new law does not penalize schools who do not report teacher injuries.
“Indiana Code does not provide IDOE with statutory enforcement authority to ensure reporting compliance,” read the report. “For the 2023-2024 school year, schools submitted the required data through Data Exchange during the final reporting window. This reporting window ended on July 15, 2024."
The goal of the reporting requirement is to help schools get the resources they need to address the issue, which impacts teacher turnover.
“This is critical information. It helps us determine What training and professional development we need for our educators that serve our students, what ways we need to work with the student at home to make sure we have as safe environment as we can for all of our students and all of our staff,” said Gambill. “We just want to continue doing all we can to keep everyone safe. That’s the student and educator alike.”
If you’re a teacher and you’ve been injured on the job or you see your school district is not listed, contact kara.kenney@wrtv.com
