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Indianapolis Star
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Why young progressives shouldn't give up on Indiana — or flee from it
For progressives living in conservative states, escaping isn't always the answer. And it shouldn't be. When recent college graduates think about where to live, Indiana is a complicated option. There are perks, namely cost of living, but they do not always offset some of Indiana's more concerning aspects, such as the state of politics. It's important to contextualize young professionals. Both Gen Z and millennials tend to lean politically left. As a conservative state, Indiana poses a host of political problems for younger generations, ranging from a lack of reproductive rights to censorship. The state is also one of the least safe for those in the LGBTQ+ community. For recent Indiana University Indianapolis graduate Anna Morgan, the state's neglect of public K-12 education is concerning. Morgan wants to pursue a career in education and is moving to Milwaukee for her master's degree. 'Indianapolis is very pro-privatization,' Morgan said. 'Education is just a big factor for me, and it's been very concerning — especially the past legislative session. The continual targeting of, specifically (Indianapolis Public Schools) ... and now having to share tax dollars and with charter schools, which further depletes the pool of resources.' Briggs: Mike Braun grandstands on Indianapolis crime while murders drop 24% Public transportation and walkability also are key factors for Morgan, a desire common among recent graduates. Indiana offers few places with these amenities outside of Indianapolis' most expensive neighborhoods, another reason why the state doesn't meet everyone's standards. Walkability exists, but if often comes with a price tag. Wanting to leave seems attractive, but it's not a cookie-cutter solution. 'It is a privilege to leave,' Morgan said. 'Navigating [Indiana] is finding the spaces where you can exist within. There is a lot of good people in the red states, and they're doing the hard work ... and it's so motivating to see that.' You need time, money and privilege to move — and not everyone has that — which is why it's important to consider the change that can come from staying. 'Existence is resistance,' Butler University graduate Mae-Mae Han said. "If [you] belong to a minoritized group or marginalized group, literally just being that identity and not being afraid to exist in that as that identity is going against what [conservatives] want.' Han is a graduate of Butler's pharmacy program. She intends to stay in Indiana, even considering how the state is more restrictive in access to health care. 'Learning about just the health care statistics of Indiana has made me more motivated to be the best pharmacist that I can and advocate for patient care,' Han said. 'It's really important for people who do care about making social change to stay in Indiana,' she added. Opinion: Abortion ban, fetal anomaly and a ticking clock: 'an impossible decision' While Indiana's political situation is far from ideal for many young people, affordability is a strong benefit. Han said buying a home feels more doable in Indiana compared to other states. Many suburbs in Indiana are ranked among the best in the country. It makes sense to want to live in an environment that supports your beliefs and identities, but that doesn't make it the best option for everyone. While some progressive young professionals are drawn to places outside Indiana, it's important to consider the progress we can nurture. Conservative politics and legislation can be fought through supporting and advocating for our communities. As dire as the situation is — and will likely continue to become — there is a reason to fight for this. Indiana is our home, too.
Axios
18-07-2025
- General
- Axios
ILEARN scores still stagnant, five years post-pandemic
Learning in Indiana's elementary and middle schools continues to stagnate, particularly in reading. Why it matters: Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic's onset, scores on statewide tests designed to measure students against grade-level proficiency standards in English and math have yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, according to ILEARN results released this week by the Indiana Department of Education. Learning gaps between the highest- and lowest-performing schools persist, meaning that where a child lives can still have an outsize impact on their education. Between the lines: Scores significantly dropped from 2019 to 2021 — the first year in the pandemic that the test was given — and have stagnated since then. The state has invested heavily in new reading education strategies, trainings and materials, but scores remain flat. By the numbers: Statewide, just 31% of students passed both the English and math portions, meaning they're on track to graduate high school ready for college or a career. Overall, math scores were the bright spot, increasing 1.4 points to 42.1%, while English scores actually dipped by 0.4 points to 40.6% Reality check: Proficiency rates vary widely based on demographic factors — only 13% of Black and 18% of Hispanic students passed both portions, compared to 38% of white students. Students from low-income families were also proficient at lower rates (19%) than their peers who don't qualify for meal assistance (42%). The big picture: Performance on standardized testing is closely tied to socioeconomic and other demographic factors. Once again, districts surrounding Marion County — Brownsburg, Carmel Clay and Zionsville — were among the top-performing in the state. Zoom in: In Marion County, Speedway Schools had the highest scores of traditional districts, with nearly half of students passing both portions and 55% proficiency in English and 61% in math. Franklin, Washington and Perry townships were the only other districts to have more than 25% of students pass both exams. Indianapolis Public Schools, the largest district, posted nearly the same results as last year but in English but small a gain in math. Warren Township had the lowest scores but made one of the biggest gains in English — increasing its proficiency rate more than 2 points over the last year. It also gained more than 4 points in math. What's next: This upcoming school year will be the first that new ILEARN checkpoint exams are administered throughout the year statewide, with a shorter end-of-year assessment.
Indianapolis Star
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Indy superintendents back youth curfew as IMPD preps for weekend before WNBA All-Star game
In response to the urgent call for action to protect the city's youth, 11 Marion County superintendents have announced their full support of extending curfew hours. The proposed ordinance would begin curfew hours two hours earlier than the current law, restricting unsupervised public access for minors between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday for youth ages 15 to 17. For those younger than 15, the curfew would apply daily from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. In a press release, the superintendents said that the proposal is not about punishment, but prevention. "As leaders, we see firsthand the promise and potential of our young people as well as the responsibility we share — as educators, parents, and community leaders — to ensure their safety and well-being. A curfew reinforces those values. It sends a clear message that our community stands united in protecting our youth and investing in their future." The superintendents said the curfew creates conditions where youth can thrive, and not just survive. The proposal would reclaim streets and neighborhoods and create a collective peace of mind. Indianapolis Public Schools, Warren Township, Wayne Township, Pike Township, Washington Township, Decatur Township, School Town of Speedway, Beech Grove, Lawrence Township, Perry Township, and Franklin Township Community School Corporation want Proposal No. 232, introduced by Councilor Leroy Robinson, to pass. This weekend lands between the WNBA All-Star game, which is set to bring thousands downtown, and last weekend's mass shooting that left two teens dead after seven people between the ages of 16-21 were shot near Monument Circle. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Chris Bailey pinned a video to social channels, stating that the department needed help to send young people a message of non-violence. "I'm asking and I'm begging that we have a peaceful and safe weekend," Bailey said in a video. "I'm asking for help from everyone in the community. Let's put the guns and the weapons down. Let's look at this precious life that we only have one of." He said the department is as committed as ever to keep the community safe, and Maj. Corey Mims with the department's Community Engagement and Outreach Bureau said there will be around 200 police officers working the area downtown. "It can't just be the police. It has to be the community," Mims said. "It has to be the parents. It has to be the community organizations that are available to our kids and our families throughout the city of Indianapolis. It takes everybody." The department's call to action from the community is making sure parents aren't dropping off their kids downtown or allowing teens and kids to take Ubers and roam around unsupervised. Mims also said the goal for the department isn't to mass-arrest kids who do break curfew. "It's not meant to be punitive," Mims said. "Again, we encourage our parents and our guardians to be in the know where their kids are. We want to be able to have conversations with the kids that we do come in contact with. Hopefully, it doesn't happen after curfew has been implemented." The superintendents are urging residents and parents to contact their City-County Council representative and voice support for Proposal No. 232. The ordinance will be reviewed by the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee at 5:30 p.m. July 16, where public comment is welcome.
Indianapolis Star
09-07-2025
- General
- Indianapolis Star
Born into Jim Crow, she lived to witness DEI debates
Lexie Webster died in her sleep June 24. The simple recording of that date, in this newspaper and as a matter of public record, is a final testament to a life's journey from marginalization to dignity. Webster was born June 20, 1929, a time when no White person could be bothered to take notice of a Black baby entering American society. "Racial discrimination shaped my earliest days," Webster wrote in a 28-page reflection on her life, which she updated just days before her death. "My mother had no doctor or midwife to assist her, and when it came time to obtain my birth certificate, a physician wouldn't issue one until five days after my actual birth." As Webster grew up, she made people notice. Her five-octave voice range. Her college degree at age 20. Her sip at the "White's Only" drinking fountain. Her home purchase in a White Indianapolis neighborhood. Her decades-long career as an Indianapolis Public Schools teacher. Her marriage — a "tapestry woven with ups and downs," as she put it — to Russell Webster, a notable jazz musician, who died in 2007. Webster lived a life that was not afforded to Black women born 96 years ago. She did it by bearing the psychological burden of entering places where she was not welcome and refusing to leave. An irony of Webster's life is that she lived long enough to follow the contemporary debates over diversity, equity and inclusion that treated her existence as a historic artifact. Webster had first-hand experiences with policies and prejudices limiting where she could attend school, work, dine out and live. Yet, in recent months, conservatives have upended society over wokeness fatigue, a view that racial barriers and discrimination occurred much too long ago to hold relevance. "She could see the ludicrous hypocrisy and people wanting to blame planes coming down on (DEI)," Kym Webster, Lexie's daughter and one of five children, told me. "It really maddened her, because the only thing standing between a Black person with an education and a determination to be successful are opportunities. If you deny them opportunities to display that excellence, it's kind of like cutting off a plant at its roots before it even has a chance to show you that it's a strong tree." Webster's excellence emerged in the context of societally imposed limitations. She graduated early from Crispus Attucks High School and went to Knoxville College, a historically Black college, where she sang on the radio with the choir and studied education. After college, Webster worked for 10 years at an Indianapolis jewelry store where, she said, she was only allowed to handle repairs and engravings in the back, where she couldn't be seen by White customers. Webster began a 36-year teaching career with IPS in 1963, eventually completing a master's degree in elementary education from Indiana University, a "milestone that filled me with quiet pride." More often, Webster exhibited quiet defiance, pushing back against the constraints society placed on her. Webster's memoir recounts the constant costs of insisting on her self-worth. There was the time she rode a Greyhound bus in 1947. A driver told her to sit in the back, but all the rear seats were occupied. "I refused to stand in the aisle like some second-class citizen," Webster wrote. "His solution? Stop the bus entirely, leaving me to face the glares of impatient passengers. The law was on my side — interstate buses weren't supposed to enforce segregation — but law and justice often travel separate roads." In a "curious and bold" outing with friends during college, Webster decided to drink from a White fountain "just to see if the water tastes different." Her takeaway? "Tastes like water to me." Pushing boundaries led her to break down barriers — often only to see new ones erected. Webster's family became the first Black homeowners on their block in Mapleton-Fall Creek in 1963, but only after two sellers refused to accept their offers. "The third, a man who supported Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Washington, welcomed us as buyers," Webster wrote. Others did not. "Stockade fences went up on either side of our house, and most (neighbors) kept their distance." Kym Webster, who was a toddler when they moved into that house, grew up with fear of making a wrong move. "We were very, very careful not to allow a ball or anything to roll into a neighbor's yard," she told me. Kym Webster recalls being the only Black family on the block until the 1990s. Eventually, her mother wrote, "we built bridges." The Websters were a power couple of sorts, with Lexie active in opera circles and Russell being part of the Indiana Avenue jazz legacy. Russell was known as the "Whistling Postman." Lexie discussed her husband's music career in a remarkably sharp and vibrant WFYI interview at age 94. Lexie was at least equally accomplished. Her brief memoir is steeped in gratitude, yet conveys a determination to live an exceptional life. "I've always believed in the wisdom of generational wealth — holding on to what's ours so that it can benefit those who come after us," she wrote. Webster secured that wealth. Not only in terms of personal possessions, but also by breaking down racial barriers in everyday settings and making the path easier for others. She didn't necessarily record any historic firsts, beyond integrating Mapleton-Fall Creek, but she was part of a generation of Black Americans who demanded to be fully American in public, education, culture and the workplace. While DEI critics argue the U.S. achieved equality long ago, Lexie's life story proves how recently those barriers stood — and how much courage it took to tear them down. "If you yourself have never victimized anyone in that way, and you don't have a direct knowledge of someone who has, it's like it gives you license to believe it never has existed, or that the claims are very much exaggerated," Kym told me. The toll of persistence weighs heavily on Webster's writing — hard-earned words that were completed days, not decades, ago. Yet, through each story of struggle, Webster also gives the sense that she lived 96 years of pure delight. A child of Jim Crow America, whose birth didn't warrant the attention of a doctor, spent her final days in the neighborhood that once tried to shut her out. The scars of segregation remained on her heart. But they didn't define her. "I'm surrounded," Webster wrote, "by neighbors who care, family who love fiercely and a world that, despite its challenges, still holds so much beauty."
Indianapolis Star
01-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis coach, mentor faces six counts in child sexual misconduct case
Editor's note: This article contains descriptions of child abuse. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Indiana Department of Child Services' Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All adults are mandated reporters in Indiana. Indianapolis police have arrested a longtime coach and mentor accused of inappropriately touching a 15-year-old who was staying at his house. The teen boy was staying with the man for about four weeks and other mentees had spent the night at the house, according to court documents. The case against the coach involves just one teen, and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department representatives did not respond when asked if there may be other victims. Gordan Darnell Bass, 53, was arrested June 27 and indicted on six felony charges: four counts of sexual misconduct, one count of child seduction and one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors. Bass denied any sexual intention, but told investigators there was physical contact between him and the teenager and some could have been "accidentally" sexual, according to court documents. Bass pleaded not guilty and has a bond set at $7500. He was also issued a no-contact order. He did not have a lawyer listed in online court records. Bass may have been working with children since 1996, according to a review of court and online records. He was a mentor with the Wheeler Dowe Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis from 1996 to 2005 and began teaching with Indianapolis Public Schools in 2013, according to his LinkedIn. High School Athletic Association records list Bass as an assistant coach at Lawrence Central High School in 2010 and said he taught football at John Marshall High School from 2016-17. A comment from court records suggests he may have worked at Northwest Middle School. A spokesperson said Bass worked for the Lawrence schools from 2020-24 and no longer has any affiliation with the district. Bass is currently employed as an Indianapolis Public Schools teacher but is on suspension pending investigation. The IPS official declined to specify where Bass worked. Public records indicate Bass made just over $102,000 teaching at James W. Riley Elementary in 2024. A document on the IPS website said Bass worked as a behavior modification specialist. His professional educator license was listed as valid as of July 1 and set to expire in 2032. The teenager said he was staying at Bass's home over the summer to improve at basketball. The teenager had a room in the coach's house. He made an outcry to his family after he woke up and found Bass inappropriately touching him, according to court records. The teenager said he had been inappropriately touched over 10 times. He was concerned he wouldn't be able to play basketball if he told anyone, the teen told a family member in court records. Bass paid for some of the teenager's sports opportunities and personal items, according to court documents. The coach was considered part of the family, someone close to the teen told investigators. Four days before Bass's arrest, Indianapolis police arrested an assistant track & field coach at Ben Davis High School who was accused of inappropriately touching a student. Harrison Goss was charged with five felony counts of child seduction as a child care worker.
