I must commend Jeff Jellison, publisher of the Hamilton County Reporter newspaper.  He is willing to be creative and try news things.  The Reporter is also my news-gathering partner.

His latest experiment is asking his readers to respond to a 2019 local primary election poll.  In a special edition of his publication posted online the day before the election, Jellison revealed the results of that poll.  Of his 10,000 subscribers, Jellison says 7,900 of his readers responded to an online poll about how they plan to cast their votes election day.

Although I am not an expert in polling, I did study this concept as a political science major in college.  I must note that we need to consider many flaws in this poll.  It is very unscientific.

First, of those 7,900 people responding, we don’t know how many are registered voters or likely voters.  We also do not know where the respondents live.  For example, for those responding to the Fishers election, there is no way of knowing how many of those taking the poll actually live in Fishers.

Scientific polls are geeky exercises in statistical analysis, or, to put it another way, just really complicated math problems.  You must quantify the margin of error for the poll to be scientific.  There is no way to measure the margin of error in the Reporter’s poll.

So, just be aware that this poll is in no way scientific, but it is all we have.  It is possible at least one candidate has done some internal scientific polling, but those poll results are for the campaign, not for public consumption.

News organizations sometimes pay for scientific polling, but that is very expensive.  It is rare anymore for a news organization in Indiana to commission a poll that meets the industry standards.

So, with all those caveats, I am passing along Jeff Jellison’s reader survey.  The results for the Fishers election are shown below.

One other message to all Fishers voters.  The HSE Schools, as part of a movement by all Hamilton County School Systems, has decided not to host any polling sites this election cycle due to security concerns.  If you have been voting at a Hamilton Southeastern school location, you should have received a little yellow card from Hamilton County informing you of the new polling place.  If you want to check your polling location just to be sure, and to verify you are a registered voter, use this link and access “Check Voting Status – Check Your Registration Record.”

You can view the entire special pre-election edition of the Hamilton County Reporter at this link.

As most Fishers-area residents know by now, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board is set to vote on a nondiscrimination policy Wednesday night.  As I was thinking about that vote, my mind went back to an opinion piece published in today’s (Sunday’s) Indianapolis Star.  It is written by two juniors and two seniors at the University of Notre Dame.

The four students are thinking ahead to the start of their work life.  But in that article, all four made one thing clear – they have no plans to stay in Indiana after graduation.

The reason why is the biggest concern.  Here is what they jointly wrote:

“Indiana has a perception, deserved or not, as a state stuck in the past. Many young, talented, college students do not even consider remaining in Indiana after graduating.”

A major reason Indiana has this reputation is the General Assembly’s inability to enact a strong bias crimes law.  A measure was passed in the legislative session this year, but it was a half-way measure that does not include protections for gender identity and gender.  Without those groups being a part of the law, Indiana will continue to be on a list of only five states nation-wide without a strong bias crimes law.

Not all business leaders and organizations are in agreement on this issue, but the tech firms are still saying the law, as it stands in Indiana, is not good enough.  This is a major setback in the highly-competitive industry of luring the best young tech talent.  Most of that group refuses to locate to a state not seen as having a strong bias crimes (sometimes described as hate crimes) law.

As I have written before, this failure by our state lawmakers has the danger of leading Indiana into becoming an economic backwater if this is not fixed soon.  Just as people involved locally in the high-tech industry here in Fishers will tell you, this lack of a strong bias crimes bill will make their recruitment efforts for talent in the future much more difficult, if not impossible.  Those tech industry leaders in Fishers include John McDonald of Cloud One and John Wechsler, founder of Launch Fishers and the Indiana Internet of Things (IoT) Lab

That brings me to the HSE School Board.  On April 24th, the board rejected an amendment to the board nondiscrimination policy that includes a list of student and employee groups covered by the policy.  That amendment failed to pass by a 4-3 vote.

The measure that did pass 4-3 basically says the school district will follow state and federal law in its nondiscrimination policy.

There is now a major public debate underway.  The day after the vote, April 25th, a Facebook group was organized named HSEqual advocating for the strong language voted down by the board April 24th.  At last count, HSEqual had about 3,300 people following the Facebook page.

Emma Kate Fittes, a reporter for the Indianapolis Star, posted a story April 26th laying-out all the school districts around HSE Schools with nondiscrimination policies containing much stronger language than was approved at the April 24th session of the HSE board.  In other words, people living close to the Fishers area have other choices of school systems.

Ask any Fishers-area real estate agent this question – what is the biggest draw to Fishers for most families?  The answer you will almost always get is the school system is a big reason families choose to live in the boundaries of HSE Schools.  Our school corporation is the goose that laid the golden egg for Fishers.  I am fearful this issue has the potential of killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

I wrote a week ago on this blog that this controversy, which has attracted some national news coverage, has the danger of tearing this community apart.  I’ve seen that happen in other communities and I still fear it could happen here.

I also urged everyone to be respectful and listen to each other.  I am seeing signs of that since April 24th and that is good news.

However, compromise may be a difficult path on an issue like nondiscrimination policy.  I spoke with Jaime Cairns and Michael Vance, co-founders of HSEqual, on a podcast recorded and posted last Thursday.  I asked Mr. Vance, who has a daughter that is transgender, whether a compromise is possible on an issue such as this.

He paused for a moment, then said, “I do not think there is, certainly not long-term.”

This will not be an easy vote for our school board members.  But I would hope all seven will take into consideration what is at stake here.  Nothing less than our reputation as a welcoming place for all is on the line.  We cannot just say we are welcoming to all, we need to put it into policy specifically.

Governor Eric Holcomb was the first sitting Indiana governor to deliver the commencement address at Ball State University Saturday.  He found the situation with college graduates serious enough that he felt compelled to urge the graduates to stay in Indiana.

The four Notre Dame students that penned the Op-Ed column in the IndyStar were all clear – they are all leaving the Hoosier state at their graduation.  Sadly, there are far too many graduates of our outstanding Indiana colleges and universities planning to leave this state.

The HSE School Board will be making a decision that will define what our school corporation’s district will be, not just in the Indy metro area or the state of Indiana, but around the nation.  What will that definition be?  Will HSE Schools continue to be a magnet for families moving to Fishers?  We will likely know Wednesday night, May 8th.

Mary Rager is a school counselor at Hamilton Southeastern High School and has been namded Hero of the Month by the local nonprofit group Prevail, according to my news gather partner, the Hamilton County Reporter.

In September 2018, Prevail started offering psycho-educational support groups for sexual assault survivors at Hamilton Southeastern High School and Fishers High School. According to Prevail, over the course of this partnership, Ms. Rager has been attuned to the social, emotional and academic needs of students who have been effected by sexual assault.

While running groups in the school was a new experience for our advocates as well, Ms. Rager assures there is a space that feels safe and confidential for students.  She  works to arrange the students’ schedules, and provides support over the course of the week to students.  Ms Rager has identified potential triggers for the participants and works to be sensitive to their needs.

Rager has worked to collaborate, tailor the curriculum to the students’ current needs, provide encouragement for their capacity to grow through this experience, and highlight their strengths that can support growth.

Hamilton County Reporter

Residents of Hamilton County can help extend broadband coverage to rural areas by downloading a new app created by the National Association of Counties (NACo), of which Hamilton County is a member.

“Access to affordable, high-speed internet is essential to connect people and places and compete in today’s economy,” says NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “This mobile app will help identify gaps in broadband coverage and help guide federal, state, and local decision-making.”

“TestIT” (available for iOS and Android) allows mobile users to test their broadband speed from anywhere – helping to accurately identify areas with low or no internet connectivity.

Ward

“Believe it or not, there are some places in Hamilton County, even within the city limits, which are below the national average for broadband speed and some that are below the federal minimum standard,” said Kenton Ward, County Surveyor and a member of the NACo Board of Directors. “A lack of high-speed internet is hurting small businesses in rural America. It also limits students’ ability to get online and for sick patients to get medical consultation locally unavailable.”

NACo says outdated broadband mapping techniques limit Congress’ ability to accurately identify and fund broadband resources across much of America. It hopes the “TestIT” app will help identify unserved and underserved communities and provide accurate data to ensure they are better served by critical federal resources.

“Our lives and futures have become inextricably tied to technology,” “says George Kakasuleff, president of the Hamilton County Farm Bureau. “Without access to high-speed internet, many of our rural communities are becoming increasingly isolated and left behind. We need to do a better job of bridging the digital divide.”

NACo has also partnered with the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and Rural LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) to fund the new mobile app.

The Fishers Arts Council announced 10 cash awards Thursday at City Hall, as part of the Senior Showcase.  Certificates of Appreciation were handed out to Angela Fritz and Jasmine Osborne, chairpersons of FHS and HSEHS visual arts departments.

Here is  the list of student winners:

Best of Show

Yibei Cheng                                              HSE    $500

Drawing

1st Place    Grace Supanik              HSE    $250

2nd Place Callie Waligora              HSE    $250

3rd Place Courtney Broyles          HSE    $250

Photography

1st Place   Chayton Davidson        HSE   $150

2nd Place  Karissa Stiner                FHS   $150

3rd Place   Maddie Gibbs                FHS   $150

Painting

1st Place  Maxwell Reid                  FHS   $100

2nd Place  Emi Chima                     FHS   $100

3rd Place  Caroline Kridle             FHS   $100

The following received Honorable Mention certificates:

Both Fishers & HSE High Schools have a club named “Bring Change to Mind.”  The idea is to promote mental health in each school and the community at large.  The City of Fishers and the HSE School Corporation have supported these clubs with an annual event, Hope for Happiness, at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater, held Friday evening.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and “Hope for Happiness” is a way to kickoff the month’s activities.  The idea is to raise awareness and spark conversations around mental health.

Here are some of the community organizations with booths at Hope for Happiness:

Continue reading Hope For Happiness →

As the weather continues to warm, more road construction projects are on the weekly list.

Here is the latest update from the City of Fishers construction during the work week beginning Monday, May 6th:

If you are looking for activities for your children this summer, the Fishers Police Department is once again offering a one-week Teen Academy.

For the details, see the Police Department news release belwo:

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The 18th annual Fishers Police Department Teen Academy will be held June 17th – 21st 9:00a-3:30p in conjunction with the Fishers YMCA. This year’s academy will be held at Riverside Junior High in Fishers. The academy is one week of law enforcement type training that will allow teens to better understand how law enforcement works. The academy will also allow teens to get to know several officers through a variety of social activities.

The teens will start each day with physical exercise. The students will then attend classroom training followed by practical hands on skills to reinforce the lesson of the day. Field trips to public safety organizations may also be included. Each day will conclude with a social activity between officers and students. All students must be picked up no later than 3:45p.

The purpose of the academy is to allow teens to better understand police officers and to strengthen the relationship between the police department and the community. Officers will teach blocks of instruction on various topics such as making traffic stops, meeting our K-9 units and learning how they work with police, learning about the Fishers Dive Team, meeting our Crime Scene Investigators, learning about Internet Safety and much more. Students will have classroom instruction as well as practical “role play” training each day.

The academy is open to any applicant 13 years of age or older and must be enrolled in a junior high or high school in Fishers. Each applicant is subject to a screening process and therefore walk-ins will not be allowed. We only have 40 spots available for this year’s academy! If you are interested, please contact Officer Cory Robinson at robinsonc@fishers.in.us to begin the screening process.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

When the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted down a nondiscrimination policy listing those groups covered, and passed a policy saying school officials would follow the law, many members of the audience in attendance at the April 24th meeting were angry and upset by the board’s decision.  The following day, April 25th, those opposing the board’s decision formed a Facebook group and began organizing.

I spoke with two people key in organizing the Facebook group HSEquality, Michael Vance and Jaime Cairns, in this podcast discussion.