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Thursday, February 29, 2024

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IDS Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024

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A former plowhorse found personality and purpose helping kids

IU administrator infringed on free speech rights, Kinsey student says By Jack Forrest

jhforres@iu.edu | @byjackforrest

Here are 5 indiana education bills moving through the legislature By Nadia Scharf

njscharf@iu.edu | @nadiaascharf

A Friends of Kinsey member said an IU administrator infringed on free speech rights by demanding the group move their table from Sample Gates. Following the IU Board of Trustees’ decision to table discussions Nov. 10 to form a separate nonprofit to manage some of the institute’s functions, Kinsey students formed Friends of Kinsey, an organization advocating against the proposed separation of the institute from the university. Over the past two weeks, as the fate of the institute remains uncertain, members have demonstrated in front of Sample Gates handing out flyers, candy and condoms. On Feb. 13, Zoe Moscovici, a doctoral student and member of Friends of Kinsey, demonstrated in front of Sample Gates, when she was approached by Mary Waggoner, who identified herself as a member of IU administration. Waggoner told Moscovici she was not permitted to demonstrate at that location. Moscovici drafted a written statement detailing the interaction with Waggoner, which was sent to Kinsey Institute Executive Director Justin Garcia. According to the statement, Waggoner, who is the IU Office of Student Life Services Assistant for Space Reservations, told Moscovici she was not allowed to be at Sample Gates without IU approval. Moscovici responded that she was not in charge of the demonstration, but she believed Friends of Kin-

The Indiana General Assembly is still in session, and education remains a major priority. Deadlines are approaching: Tuesday, Feb. 27 marked the last day for House adoption of conference committee reports without approval and March 5 the last day for Senate adoption. March 4 and 5 mark the last days for third reading of Senate bills in the House and for House bills in the Senate, respectively. Here are some of the bills still moving through the legislature.

HARIPRIYA JALLURI | IDS

IU Gender Studies Ph.D. candidates Kylie Dannatt (left) and Melissa Blundell are pictured Feb. 26, 2024, at the Samples Gates in Bloomington. A Friends of Kinsey member said an IU administrator infringed on free speech rights by demanding the group move their table from Sample Gates during a demonstration Feb. 13, 2024.

sey had the proper permission. Waggoner replied that she oversaw space reservation, and she had not approved a demonstration at Sample Gates. Waggoner also said, according to the statement, that Friends of Kinsey needed to be an approved student organization with permission to demonstrate there and that tabling is never permitted for Sample Gates. Waggoner did not say where these rules were posted. Moscovici said Waggoner demanded she move the table immediately. However, Moscovici had not set up the table, and she said

she was watching other people’s possessions, so she told Waggoner that she did not want to move it. At this point, Waggoner grabbed materials from the table and began packing them up herself. “The main tone I was getting was condescending,” Moscovici said. Meanwhile, a man accompanying Waggoner began filming the incident on his phone, according to Moscovici’s statement. He did not identify himself to Moscovici. Moscovici said she called Melissa Blundell, a Kinsey Institute doctoral student and Friends of Kinsey mem-

ber, who had coordinated the tabling effort and was at the demonstration but left prior to Waggoner’s arrival. According to the statement, Waggoner asked to speak to Blundell on the phone, but Moscovici refused. Blundell said she could return to campus in 20 minutes to speak to Waggoner, but Waggoner said she had a meeting in 20 minutes and Moscovici would have to move immediately. “Through the phone, I could hear Mary Waggoner being very aggressive and very angry,” Blundell said. SEE KINSEY, PAGE 3

District 5 city council candidates share plans By Mia Hilkowitz

mhilkowi@iu.edu | @MiaHilkowitz

Three candidates running to fill the vacant District 5 seat on the Bloomington City Council shared their plans and priorities, if elected to the governing body, during a forum Saturday at the Monroe County Public Library. Former city councilmember Shruti Rana, the first woman of color elected to city council, stepped down from her seat Feb. 7 after serving in the position for around two months. Rana, who accepted the positions of assistant vice chancellor for inclusive excellence and strategic initiatives and professor of law at the University of Missouri in September 2023, resigned so her family could relocate to Missouri. The forum took place one week before eight Monroe County Democratic precinct chairs will vote to select a candidate to replace Rana during a caucus at 1 p.m. March 2 in City Hall. Candidates interested in participating in the caucus must submit their statement of interest to the MCDP by 2 p.m. Feb. 28. Three candidates — former Bloomington Fire Chief Jason Moore, local activist Courtney Daily and former city council candidate Jenny Stevens — participated in the

MIA HILKOWITZ | IDS

Candidates for the District 5 seat on the Bloomington City Council Jason Moore, Courtney Daily and Jenny Stevens (left to right) participate in a public forum Feb. 24, 2024, in the Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington. The candidates shared their perspectives on public safety and homelessness in Bloomington during the forum.

forum. Daily is listed as one of the eight precinct chairs who can participate in the March 2 caucus, meaning she can vote for a candidate for the vacancy. Candidates’ backgrounds Moore resigned as the city’s fire chief in December 2023 after serving in the role for seven years. In his resignation, he alluded to issues within the fire department as the cause for his departure. Moore, who grew up in a military family and is an Air Force veteran, said that for the first time in his life, he feels he has found a place to call home in Bloomington. According to his LinkedIn profile, Moore served as a

captain, dispatcher and battalion chief for James Island PSD Fire Department in South Carolina from 2007-16. He also served as a staff sergeant for the U.S. Air Force from 2000-05, where he was deployed to Qatar, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. “With all the things we’ve done here in Bloomington and as the fire chief, I could have gone anywhere,” Moore said. “I may not be the person whose been here the longest, but I promise you that I’m someone who has dug in really deep here because I do love it.” Daily, who has lived in Bloomington for almost 14 years, led the Indiana Chapter of the grassroots move-

ment Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America from 2017-20. She is currently the associate director for admission for Kelley Direct Online MBA. According to her LinkedIn, she also worked as an adjunct faculty member for Ivy Tech Bloomington and taught at St. Mark's Nursey School and Kindergarten. "I am well-seasoned in going toe-to-toe with the representatives at the state house who are diametrically opposed to everything that I am advocating for,” Daily said. “I have learned that maybe when things don’t go my way I can step back and recalibrate and keep advocating.”

SEE DISCTRICT 5, PAGE 4

House Bill 1002 HB 1002 defines antisemitism, specifically in public education. The bill’s definition is being debated as of Wednesday, Feb. 21 but was amended to be “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” The bill’s previous definition came from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the U.S. Departments of State and of Education and was defined in 2016. It previously specified that the definition does not include “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country.” Some criticized its language out of fear that antisemitism will be equated with criticism for Israel and the state’s response to the war in Gaza. On the other hand, some members of Indiana’s Jewish community oppose the new definition, as removing reference to the IHRA also excludes its other examples of contemporary antisemitism which would have otherwise been outlawed , such as Holocaust denial or promotion of conspiracy theories. The bill also explicitly adds religion to the state’s nondiscriminatory public education clause, despite antidiscrimination law already including reference to creed, or one’s religious beliefs. The bill passed the House and was referred to the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development on Feb. 5. It was most recently amended Feb. 22. Senate Bill 287 SB 287 covers internet safety and would mandate cursive instruction. The cursive requirement is based on an amendment Sen. Jean Leising, R- Oldenburg, has pushed for several years. If the bill passes, public schools, charter schools and state-accredited private schools would be required to teach cursive writing to elementary students. Dorothea Irwin, assistant superintendent of elementary education for Monroe County Community School Corporation, said students were exposed to cursive handwriting but that learning cursive wasn’t in MCCSC curriculum. Teachers may teach cursive when students practice

Bloomington's 7-Day Forecast

handwriting, Irwin said, but it’s not a focus. Still, she said she believes learning cursive provides students with benefits ranging from improving fine motor skills to allowing students to read older, handwritten documents. The bill would also require schools to develop internet safety curricula that would teach internet economics, cybersecurity and cyberbullying, among other topics. The bill passed the Senate and was referred to the House Committee on Education on Feb. 12. House Bill 1304 HB 1304 deals with what the bill describes as various “education matters.” Among them, it creates a literacy coaching program and defines aspects of the role. Literacy coaches, as defined in a new section of the Indiana code, would work with both teachers and students to support student literacy. They would have to complete department training and have either a master’s degree with three years of literacy education experience, or a bachelor’s degree with five years of experience. Schools are currently required to employ literacy coaches if under 70% of their students pass IREAD-3, according to the bill’s fiscal note. As of 2023, 226 Indiana schools had under 70% of students pass and would be affected. Literacy is a major issue in the Indiana General Assembly this session. Senate Bill 1, which passed the Indiana Senate Feb. 1 and had its first reading in the House Feb. 12, would mandate that schools hold back third graders who don’t pass literacy assessments unless they receive certain exceptions. MCCSC schools already employ a coaching model, Irwin said. Monroe County’s coaches work in literacy, math and science, instructing teachers in often newly discovered, more effective teaching methods and strategies. However, she said it’s also important to consider the cost of these models. The bill’s fiscal note states that literacy coaches could cost schools $72,000 annually, but it doesn’t provide funding for these programs apart from the applicationbased Science of Reading grant. Monroe County’s coaching programs are largely funded by grants and referendums, Irwin said. “But not every community would be able to pass a referendum, or the people might not have the finances to support something like that,” Irwin said. “To mandate it without any backing is a problem.” A Feb. 22 update to the bill adds a data governance team. This team would gather and streamline data inventory for kindergarten through twelfth grade schools’ reports, data and other information. SEE BILLS, PAGE 4

SOURCE: XANDER LOWRY | XLOWRY@IU.EDU GRAPHICS BY: THE WEATHER CHANNEL

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Thursday, February 29, 2024 by Indiana Daily Student - idsnews - Issuu