What at first appeared to be a routine discussion about procedures in approving curriculum in Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools turned into a passionate speech by school board member Amanda Shera.  The center of the controversy was a teacher assigning the book Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini to Shera’s daughter.

The book has been the center of controversy in some parts of the nation because of the author’s fictional depiction of a young boy from Afghanistan enduring the Russian invasion of his country and the later rule of the Taliban.  Reviewers of this book refer to the passages describing scenes of homosexual rape, murder, beatings, and a suicide attempt.

Some parents in localities in certain areas of the country have objected to Kite Runner being on required reading lists.  Many educators argue the book is about complex adult issues and can be taught at the high school level

Shera made clear at Wednesday night’s school board meeting she does not approve of her 16-year-old daughter being required to read Kite Runner.

“I am embarrassed that my child had to read it,” Shera told fellow board members.  “I apologize to my constituents that I did not read it ahead of time.”  Shera added she wants to have “an extra set of eyes” on the required reading book lists.

The school board does not approve required reading book lists, but school administrators establish procedures for such approvals, based on the policy the board passed Wednesday night.

The Fishers Fire Department is dealing with a mold problem at Station 92, located along 116th Street near Brooks School Road.  Chief Steve Orusa has ordered firefighters out of that facility until the mold problem is remedied.

This will require equipment and personnel to be moved temporarily.  Ladder 392 will be moved to Station 96 located on 104^th St. and Florida Rd.  Engine 392 has been moved to Station 95 located on 131^st and Promise Rd.  A fire department news release calls this move “a short-term solution that will create a minimal response issue for our community while protecting our firefighter’s safety.”

More tests have been done on this fire station and results are expected in the next few days.  “Currently, air quality monitoring shows the sleeping quarters to be greater in mold spores than is “typical” in a building, while outside the sleeping area, readings are “normal” or ‘typical,'” according to the news release.

Remediation at Station 92’s bunk room has already started.  Fire department officials are hoping to have equipment and firefighters back at their normal duty stations by the weekend, but not until testing verifies it is safe.

The Fishers Fire Department plans to begin testing all remaining stations in Fishers for any mold issues.

Police Merit Commissions mainly function as a bodies charged with administering proposed discipline for members of a police department.  The Fishers Police Merit Commission must meet a minimum of 2 times per year, once in August and again in February.  Recently, the local commission has had no discipline cases to consider, so Chief Mitch Thompson uses the occasion to update commission members on what is happening around his department.

Here are some of the items covered in the Wednesday morning session:

Proposed Nickel Plate Trail Security 

Chief Thompson says he doesn’t see the trail as a burden on his department, but an amenity for the entire community.  The new Police Headquarters building will be located next to the trail.  “From a crime perspective, I don’t see it (as  problem),” Thompson told commission members.

Diversity

Fishers Police are making every effort to keep the department ethnically diverse. Thompson says if there is any shortage locally it is in female officers, but state physical requirements for new recruits, which are the same for both males and females, make recruiting female police officers a challenge.  The Chief says Fishers Police currently employ 6 African-Americans, 4 females, 1 Asian and 1 Hispanic.

2018 Budget

The Chief says he will propose a flat operating budget for his department for 2018.  He will ask for additional staffing.  Fishers Police are currently authorized for 111 sworn, uniformed officers. There are 108 on duty now, with new prospects in the hiring process. Thompson lauded work done by civilian personnel in the department’s Intelligence Unit, which has effectively used social media in locating crime suspects.

New Police Headquarters Building

The adjacent parking garage for the new police headquarters building is already under construction and if everything is completed on schedule, department staff will begin moving into the new headquarters facility at this time next year.  The city is forced to rent space in two additional locations due to the growth of the department.  Thompson says there will be some cost savings when the entire Police Department is under one roof in the new facility.

Fishers Police are looking for a peeping tom, and officers are asking for your help in finding the culprit.  The reported incidents happened in the 14000 block of Meadow Lake Drive, just south of 141st Street between Cumberland and Howe Roads.

Residents report to authorities that a man was seen looking into windows of a home in at least one instance.  Police do not know how many other homes may have been targeted.

Home surveillance photos were released by police, and are shown above.   The suspect is described as a while male with a average build. Home security videos show the person as wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt

Tuesday night, a man matching this description was seen walking toward the residence. Fishers Police Officers attempted to make contact with that subject, but he quickly fled on foot. Officers were unable to find him.

If you recognize the man in the pictures above or have any information, please contact Fishers Police Detective Ruble at 317-595-3319.

Schuyler Brinson and Mark Feeney talk about the Fishers Community Chorus, how it has grown and how you can become a part of it.

Classes at Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools start Wednesday, August 9th, but the teachers and other staff members of the HSE School Corporation assembled at Fishers High School for the new school year kickoff Tuesday morning.  One could feel the excitement and energy in the gymnasium as teachers and other staff members began the preparation for yet another school year.

HSE Superintendent Allen Bourff welcomed the staff and gave an overview of what has been happening with the school system during the weeks of summer, sharing goals the school board is prepared to finalize soon.

Board President Matt Burke talked to the crowd about building and maintaining what we do, and asked all to think about who invested in you.

Transportation Director Jim White received a standing ovation.  White will be retiring in December.

Hamilton Southeastern Education Association President Janet Chandler told a series of stories, some good, some not so good, about arranging repairs on her house before the start of school, using the examples to ask whether teachers have passion for their students.

The Fall Creek Intermediate School Falconettes were a  crowd favorite, with a song and dance routine centered around the lunch menu.

The Fishers Police Department is continuing its program of scheduling coffee session and inviting the public.  The latest was Tuesday morning, held at the Starbucks near I-69’s Exit 210 interchange.  Police scheduled this event one day before the start of school to allow local students to be a part of it.

Below are a few pictures take at this Coffee With A Cop.

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Many people living here do not know it, but Fishers was a very, very tiny farm town for many years.  Then there’s the story of the fist fight in the middle of a high school basketball game in the 1940s.  Lantern Road was named after a misspelling of another man’s name.

Those are just a few of the gems I learned while recording a podcast with Larry Reynolds, one of the owners of Reynolds Farm Equipment, with a large John Deere store located in Fishers.

Mr. Reynolds also talked about the future of the annual Christmas lights display with construction of the new Harley-Davidson building underway in Reynolds Drive.  Many of the displays will be closer to the Reynolds John Deere store, and along the east side of Reynolds Drive.  He also discussed the possibility of moving the Christmas light display to Conner Prairie in the future.  But the Reynolds family wants to assure local residents the Christmas lights display will definitely remain in Fishers.

The Fishers area has another academic team with national honors.  The Hamilton Southeastern High School Mock Trial team finished as the runner-up in national competition.

Members of the team are pictured and named above.  The team is coached by Janet Chandler.

Below is a news release explaining in more detail how the  competition, held in Chicago, was organized and performed:

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HSE Mock Trial team members practiced in June and July in preparation for the National Judicial Competition (NJC) sponsored by the YMCA. The case concerned Sam Jones’ parent who sued Metro City for damages due to Sam’s death from pindiatosis caused by pindia in the drinking water. Sides argued whether Metro City did enough to control pindia in the water. Sam also had been previously diagnosed with leukemia which compromised his immune system.

Teams are limited to eight participants. Some students play multiple roles.

Plaintiff Attorneys:

Bryana Tuemler (12), Madison Rossillo (10), and Kaleb Oliver (12)

Plaintiff Witnesses:

Ricki Jones (Plaintiff) —Kaitlyn Ross (11)

Alex Foster –works for Metro City Public Utilities—Nathan Brown (12)

Dr. Pat Dawes (oncologist)—Jill Grant (11)

Defense Attorneys: Rebecca Liu (12), Nathan Brown (12), and Emma Leonard (12)

Defense Witnesses:

Chris Baird (Member of City Council)—Madison Rossillo (10)

Dr. Hunter Williams (parasitologist)—Jill Grant (11)

Tyler Johnson (volunteer counselor)—Kaitlyn Ross (11)

Kaitlyn Ross took top honors as most outstanding witness in the competition.

Twenty-seven mock trial teams vied for the NJC mock trial championship. Washington state took top honors with HSE Mock Trial as the NJC Runner-Up.

In preparation, the Indiana Bar Foundation asked the team to perform a demonstration for some litigation attorneys at Ice Miller. Hamilton County Magistrate David Najjar also presided for the team’s dress rehearsal in his courtroom.

In addition to trials, the team participated in NJC organized activities that included improv from ComedySportz and a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan. The team also enjoyed deep-dish pizza as well as a visit to Millennium Park.

Teachers Ethan Mathias and Janet Chandler accompanied the students to Chicago.

The team will be conducting auditions in September in preparation for its 2018 county and regional season.

In this week’s episode of Hamilton County Goes To The Movies, I interview documentary film maker Jon Schnepp, 16-year-old Film score composer Ashton Gleckman, and there is a review of the recently-released film Atomic Blonde.