Fishers Police launched an investigation after a Snapchat threat to Fishers Junior High School was reported. Officers found the juvenile allegedly responsible for the threat, questioned the suspect and his parents, and found the threat not to be valid.
Here is the full text of the Fishers Police Facebook message posted Sunday night:
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Earlier today the Fishers Police Department was made aware of a threat, via Snapchat, directed at Fishers Junior High School. An investigation was immediately initiated utilizing Patrol Officers, Detectives, and School Resource Officers.
The juvenile responsible for the posting the threat was quickly identified, located, and interviewed. The juvenile and his parents cooperated with the investigation. According to information, gathered by Officers there does not appear to be any validity to the threat.
The Fishers Police Department and Hamilton Southeastern Schools work very closely to ensure the safety of students and staff. We will continue to aggressively investigate any and all threats to our schools. We very much appreciate the individual that first brought this concern to our attention. This incident was a perfect example of See Something, Say Something and the effectiveness of immediate notification.
Fire equipment on the scene at Meadow Brook Assisted Living
Quick reporting and quick action by Fishers firefighters contained a blaze at the Meadow Brook Assisted Living facility, 11011 Village Square Lane, near Allisonville Road and Easy Street. The first reports came in at 8:16pm Sunday.
According to Fishers officials, the fire was quickly put out and residents were sheltered in place without injury. Investigators remained on the scene Sunday night in an effort to determine the cause of the fire.
The damage was limited to the room where the blaze started. There was damage in the hallway in that area of the building.
No residents at Meadow Brook are expected to be displaced as a result of the fire.
When I posted my story about the May 8th HSE School Board meeting, I addressed what happened, what surrounded the session and credited two school boar members, Mike Bottorff and Brad Boyer, for having the courage to change their votes.
But there are three ladies that need to be singled out as the ones spearheading the move toward a nondiscrimination policy the community could support. Those three are school board members Michelle Fullhart, Julie Chambers and Janet Pritchett.
Fullhart is beginning her second term, or fifth year, on the HSE School Board. She has been a consistent proponent of a nondiscrimination policy with a comprehensive list of those to be protected by that policy.
Chambers, a newly-elected board member, spoke-out at the February 13th board meeting when the nondiscrimination policy was before the board, and tied the issue into the city and school system’s efforts at improving mental health. “How dare we say we are forward thinking,” Chambers said at that time.
Janet Pritchett, another newly-elected member of the board, has supported providing a list of those covered by the policy, including gender orientation and gender identity.
These three ladies never gave up on their mission to strengthen the school district’s policy on nondiscrimination. Even though they were outvoted at the April 24th board meeting on this policy question, the three eventually persuaded two other board members to join them at the May 8th meeting when final approval was before the board.
Another person that should be recognized is Jennifer Chavez, a resident that spoke before the board February 13th and argued for students and staff members not be subjected to discrimination due to gender identity.
As I have written previously, as difficult as this was for the board members to handle, a nondiscrimination policy is only as good as its implementation. Let’s hope members of the HSE Schools community come together to make this policy work.
Mothers day is special. I do know my mom has no computer and no device allowing her access to the Internet. So, just want to wish my Mom a happy Mother’s Day, even though she will likely not see this (unless someone shows her with their own smart phone).
My mom raised six children, and as the oldest, I watched her raise all of us. To this day, I do not know how she did it – but somehow, she did, and successfully.
So, Happy Mothers Day to all mothers, especially my own.
And, I cannot forget my wife Jane, and how she was (and is) the perfect mom to our two daughters.
Much love for my wife Jane, my mom and my wonderful mother-in-law Helen.
The Laotian food booth is always busy, with long lines
The first Farmers Market at the Fishers Nickel Plate Amphitheater last Saturday had rain falling most of the morning, so that depressed the crowd. Today, May 11th, it was a cool, but bright and comfortable day with temperatures in the 50s.
That led to a big crowd perusing the many vendors on hand. Even I walked away with something.
The Saturday morning event will continue through October this year
Music on the Amphitheater stage is always a part of the Farmers Market
Here are more pictures from the May 11th Farmers Market:
My wife Jane & I, at the Fishers City of Service Awards
Yes, I am once again taking a point of personal privilege on this post, but there is an important connection to the work I do on this blog.
My wife Jane and I are celebrating our 28th wedding anniversary today, May 11th. When she said yes, it wasn’t a close call on where we would live. Jane had just built a house in Fishers and I had a tiny apartment in the Irvington area of Indianapolis’ east side. I moved to Fishers.
Remember, in 1991, Fishers was still a very small town with a population of less than 10,000. I was hesitant to move there, but Jane assured me this was an area that was poised for growth. As usual, my lovely wife was right.
When I retired from the federal government in late 2011, I had this crazy idea to start a news blog aimed at local Fishers news, because most of the news outlets in the Indy metro area were largely ignoring Fishers. We had a weekly paper and a few monthlies centered on feature stories, but virtually no daily reporting.
So I took the plunge and started the blog in January of 2012. Now that I am in my 8th year of blogging, allow me to give credit where credit is due.
This blog would not be possible without the support of Jane. She doesn’t edit individual stories (maybe she should) but she has provided the general support and counsel needed. There were times that I thought this was all too much for one person and perhaps I should call it quits. Jane is the one that encouraged me to continue because no one else was doing what I was trying to do.
When it was time to downsize after our daughters graduated from college, it was Jane that said we could not look outside Fishers for our new home. How could I continue LarryInFishers.com if no longer living in Fishers?
You have no idea how many really stupid ideas I considered. The reason I put them aside was because Jane frankly told me how bad those ideas were. As usual, she was right.
So, as I continue my 8th year of blogging, I salute my beautiful wife Jane on our 28th wedding anniversary. Without you, LarryInFishers.com would never have started and wouldn’t be continuing today.
The road construction gets a little longer the deeper we get into the season.
Below is the latest update from the City of Fishers, covering the work week starting Monday, May 13th:
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MUNICIPAL DRIVE
The northwest side of Municipal Drive is closed for storm sewer work for the new Flexware Innovation and Fishers Ellipse, LLC. buildings. The closure is on the north side of Municipal Drive from the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater west to the Fire Station parking lot. Motorists can still access Municipal Drive from Lantern Road. The closure is expected to last for another 2 weeks.
STATE ROAD 37
Drainage work for SR37 is in progress. Construction vehicles will be using the construction entrance on Lantern Road, between 126th Street and 131st Street, and may cause some short delays.
116TH STREET
There is a temporary lane restriction on eastbound 116th Street between Municipal Drive and Commercial through Friday, May 17. The restriction will be in effect between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
136th STREET & CYNTHEANNE ROAD
Temporary lane restrictions are in effect between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. near and at the intersection of 136th Street and Cyntheanne Road. Restrictions are due to utility work for roundabout construction. For more information on this project, view the Fact Sheet.
ALLISONVILLE ROAD
126th Street at Allisonville Road closed on Monday, April 22 for approximately 30 days. Detour routes are down 131st Street and 116th Street to Lantern Road. Homes along 126th Street can be accessed from Lantern Road. Allisonville Road will remain open. For more information on this project, view the Fact Sheet.
Southbound and northbound traffic on Allisonville Road has moved onto the newly constructed pavement as part of Phase 3 of the project. The posted speed limit remains 30 mph.
126TH STREET
Work has begun on intersection improvements for 126th Street and Parkside Drive. View the Fact Sheet to learn more about this project.
Traffic will be switched this week to the south. There will still be one lane of traffic in each direction while construction is being completed.
96TH STREET
Utility relocation is beginning on 96th Street as part of the road widening project, resulting in periodic lane restrictions over the coming months. For more information about the 96th Street road widening project, view the Fact Sheet.
(While this list encompasses numerous project updates, it does not list all DPW projects throughout the city. The most recent projects are detailed, however please keep in mind that all construction activities are weather permitting. We appreciate motorists’ patience and caution while driving through construction sites)
Republicans got all the attention in Tuesday’s local primary elections. But, Democrats say they will make a limited effort in the November general election campaign. Democratic County Chairman Joe Weingarten said this week that he is “95 percent certain” his party will have a candidate for mayor in Carmel. But, he is not ready to identify the candidate.
Weingarten had good news for Noblesville candidate Chris Jensen and renominated Mayors Scott Fadness of Fishers and Andy Cook in Westfield. No opposition in November for them. Democrats have until next month to fill their ticket for the fall election, but no prospects, the chairman says.
He said an announcement on a Carmel candidate may be made May 14 after a scheduled County Election Board meeting. At that time Democrats will seek further investigation into an allegation that a bribe was offered to Carmel mayoral candidate Fred Glynn to drop out of the race for mayor.
Incumbent Mayor Jim Brainard, who says no such offer was made, defeated Glynn in Tuesday’s election. He is seeking his seventh term in the city that has never elected a Democrat to public office.
The outcome of the GOP primaries on Tuesday were widely predicted. With few exceptions, incumbents prevailed for most offices a stake. And, in Noblesville what mayoral candidate Mike Corbett called the “establishment” was quite successful if there is indeed an establishment. The term is hard to define, especially in the case of our county’s growing cities.
Since incumbent officeholders are established in office, one could assume their successful re-election would be a victory for the establishment. The only incumbent to lose in Noblesville was city councilman Rick Taylor. Of course, mayor-to-be Jensen is not an incumbent, but had the support of retiring Mayor John Ditslear.
The most surprising loss of an “establishment” incumbent was that of Carmel City Councilor Ron Carter. He has been the longest serving, most loyal supporter the Brainard administration had. Carter has worked hard on city projects, spending his own time that is not required in the job description. Still, he lost Tuesday to a relative unknown, Dr. Tim Hannon, who makes his first venture into politics this year.
It’s hard to explain. Sometimes in politics, as in other pursuits, a person just wears out his welcome.
I am re-posting the same picture used in my previous story, because it illustrates so much what happened Wednesday…two students embracing in joy after the school board vote
I watched and listened carefully to everything at the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting Wednesday night. Perhaps my way of looking at all this is through a little different prism than others. I moved to Fishers in 1991 after marrying my wonderful wife Jane. We have twin daughters that attended HSE School Grades K-12. I began covering the school board on this blog in 2012. I know a little history here.
Our school board members did something amazing. They listened to their own community. About 3,500 people organized to advocate for what they thought was, and is, right.
What could have been a black eye on our community has turned into a shining moment to remember. But first, a little history on how we arrived at this point.
The HSE Schools have had the same nondiscrimination policy for students and staff for about 19 years. In 2015 a revised policy was presented to the board.
Two brave school staff members spoke before the board saying the language was not strong enough. Here was the language proposed in 2015:
“Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation…does not discriminate on the basis of a protected class including but not limited to race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability or sex (including sexual stereotype nonconformity), in the programs or activities which it operates or the employment therein or admission thereto. The School strictly adheres to all non-discrimination and anti-harassment laws and does not tolerate any such acts.”
The board decided not to act and referred the issue to the school corporation’s Policy Committee. The nondiscrimination policy remained in that committee for more than three-and-a-half years.
When the policy was presented to the school board again, policy language was debated, and this is what the board approved April 24th of this year, on first reading:
“The school corporation will not discriminate in its educational and employment activities on any basis prohibited by applicable federal or state laws.”
The vote to approve that policy was 4-3….Mike Bottorff, Amanda Shera, Sylvia Shepler and Brad Boyer voted yes….Julie Chambers, Janet Pritchett and Michelle Fullhart voted no.
For the policy to receive final approval, a second reading vote would need to happen.
At that point, some community members, unhappy with the language approved by the board that did not list protected groups, began to organize. As the May 8th vote approached, HSEqual had a Facebook follower count around 3,500. They organized all those people in less than two weeks.
I offered to provide a podcast interview with those supporting the language approved by the board on April 24th and that request was declined. But I offered the same opportunity to the HSEqual and they accepted.
What impressed me most about HSEqual was their emphasis on civility. The leaders of HSEqual made it clear that they were promoting positivity and civil discourse. If you want to get into personal attacks over this issue, that’s your right, but you are not doing that as part of HSEqual.
The group had a large group of people waiting outside the school administration building before the doors opened at 6:30pm for the 7pm meeting. The board room filled up quickly and overflow rooms with the live video of the meeting were set-up at the administration building and Cumberland Road Elementary School next door.
I couldn’t visit all the rooms, but the crowd had to be in the hundreds. All but a handful were supporters of HSEqual.
On Monday, the school board Web page posted updated language, stronger than the April 24th approval. However, it used the phrase “gender nonconformity” and placed the word “unlawful” in the proposed language, and HSEqual did not support that wording because, in the view of that organization, the language did not provide enough protections for transgender students.
Then, around noon on Wednesday, just hours before the scheduled second reading vote, a new policy proposal was posted on the board’s agenda. The phrase “gender nonconformity” was changed to “gender identity” and the word “unlawful” was removed in two place.
The policy before the board was this wording:
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Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation will not discriminate or tolerate any form of discrimination in its educational or employment activities for any reason or on any basis prohibited by applicable federal and state laws, including race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability. This includes but is not limited to a characteristic, trait, belief, practice, association or other attribute. Hamilton Southeastern Schools will foster a culture and environment that does not marginalize, treat unfairly or disrespect any member of our school community and will recognize the uniqueness and individuality of all students, educators, staff and administrators so they have an opportunity to succeed.
This commitment applies to all School Corporation operations, programs, and activities. All students, administrators, teachers, staff, and all other school personnel share responsibility for avoiding, discouraging, and reporting any form of harassment or discrimination. This policy applies to conduct occurring on school grounds immediately before, during, or immediately after school hours; in any school program or activity taking place in school facilities, on school transportation, or at other off‐campus locations, such as at school‐sponsored field trips or a training program; or using property or equipment provided by the school, including school‐owned computers and the school’s computer network.
The immediate remedy for any act of discrimination shall be to end it, treat the individuals involved equitably, and, as much as practically possible, eradicate any effects of discrimination. The school corporation may impose discipline as appropriate.
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This language was approved 5-2, with Mike Bottorff, Julie Chambers, Janet Pritchett, Brad Boyer, and Michelle Fullhart casting yes votes. Voting no were Amanda Shera and Sylvia Shepler.
Shera had proposed an amendment to the policy, what she described as a “conscience clause,” allowing exceptions to the policy on personal religious grounds. The board voted that amendment down by a 5-2 vote, with Shera and Shepler the only two board members voting yes.
Shera complained that the language posted Monday and early Wednesday were completely different compared to what the board approved April 24th, and she had asked Board President Bottorff to have the language removed from the agenda because it had “materially changed” from the approved language on April 24. Shera said Bottorff denied her request. She claims the change in proposed policy language was “underhanded” and “violates Open Door Law.”
Brad Boyer had voted for the language approved April 24th but in speaking before the May 8th vote, clearly struggled with his decision on how to vote this time. He stated his misgivings about the language before the board, but in the end, changed his mind and his vote.
Board President Mike Bottorff also changed his vote (more on that later).
The most amazing part of the meeting was the public comment period.
Let me make this clear – there were a handful of people speaking against the policy language before the board, including Curt Smith of the Indiana Family Institute, a conservative organization.
But the vast majority of those speaking were supportive of the newly-revised nondiscrimination policy.
There were gay and transgender students describing the abuse received from fellow students. There were parents of gay and transgender students advocating for their children. There were student groups involved on issues of discrimination. There were health professionals expert in gay and transgender issues.
It was often emotional testimony and was like nothing like I had ever witnessed in my journalistic and governmental careers. It is too bad not all the audience could fit into the board room because the atmosphere was emotional and compelling.
Board President Bottorff had said little publicly about the debate over the school district’s nondiscrimination policy until after the vote Wednesday, when he read a prepared statement.
“This board recognizes the hardships faced by under-served, and marginalized populations and has taken the significant substantive action in support of various groups of this nature,” Bottorff said.
He then pointed to the hiring of a Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer and implementation of training in equity and cultural issues. The board pursued and won a Lilly Foundation grant aimed at the school district’s counseling program. The board also approved an enhanced analytics program and hired a Mental Health Coordinator to implement an enhanced mental health program throughout the school district.
Bottorff says the board recognizes “the work is ongoing.”
The board president then listed examples of threats made against board members and members of their families. “These actions only sewed division and discontent,” according to Bottorff. He urged the community to “do better in talking to each other regarding divisive issues.”
The big question facing the school corporation, and the entire community it serves, is this question – where do we go from here?
The approval of a nondiscrimination policy by no means will solve everything. But it is a beginning to start working toward solutions.
One of the highlights of the public comment period came from student groups that are working hard toward changing the culture in their school buildings. They acknowledge the problems in their own school and are working now to transform it.
I sincerely hope the HSEqual organization remains active now that their major goal has been accomplished in the policy vote. I would love to see these people with so much energy and concern be a positive force to bring about change where it is needed within our school system.
I want to once again point out the level of bravery shown here. The students and parents speaking before the board showed amazing courage.
But I want to point out how courageous two board members were in this controversy – Brad Boyer and Mike Bottorff. Boyer changed his vote and did so after listening carefully to what his constituents were saying to him. He admitted there were parts of the policy he voted for that concerned him, but he voted yes on this language because he thought that was the right thing today. The same goes for Mike Bottorff, who did change his vote from April 24th to May 8th. I’ve covered local school boards for years, and changing votes in a situation like this does not happen often
Now, a personal note from your volunteer news blogger. I have been covering this major school board story as the local election campaign was coming to an end. I had election night coverage Tuesday and the school board meeting Wednesday. Both were late nights for a guy that isn’t as young as he used to be. So I may slow down my posts for a few days and get a little rest. But don’t worry, I’m still here, waiting to cover the next school board meeting when the crowd will likely not be very large.
Two students embrace after the HSE School Board approves new nondiscrimination policy language
I have done my share of attending school board meetings over my career in journalism, but have never witnessed anything quite like the public hearing held Wednesday night by the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board. I counted 38 people walking up to a microphone before the board and those watching on a video live stream.
Speaking before a school board is stressful enough. Add in that fact that you are a student in the school system. In addition, you have been bullied because of being transgender or gay. Yet, somehow, you find the courage to publicly tell your story before the elected board and a mass of humanity watching you.
The board room filled up quickly once the doors opened, and overflow rooms were available to watch the live video as the meeting moved along. The number of people wanting to view the meeting was amazing.
This all happened because the HSE Board was considering final approval of a revised nondiscrimination policy. There were several versions of the language, but the wording released just a few hours before the meeting appeared to satisfy the group HSEqual, which had been arguing for more inclusive language in the policy, including naming gender identify as a group covered by the policy and removing language that tied the policy too closely with federal and state law.
Board member Amanda Shera proposed a “conscience clause” in the policy, which would allow an exception to the policy for religious reasons. That measure failed on a 5-2 vote, with Shera and Sylvia Shepler voting yes.
Then the board passed the new policy proposal 5-2, with Mike Bottorff, Julie Chambers, Janet Pritchett, Brad Boyer and Michelle Fullhart voting yes….voting no were Amanda Shera and Sylvia Shepler.
After the vote, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness issued a statement praising the school board for its action on the nondiscrimination policy.
“I commend the action of the school board tonight to adopt a new non-discriminatory policy that ensures all students have protections against discrimination and demonstrates to all students that they have the support of their school community,” the mayor said. “Thank you to the board members who worked on the new non-discriminatory language and who listened to the students, teachers and public.”
There is much more to say about this meeting, so this story will be updated
