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AKRON - Tippecanoe Valley School Board heard concerns from a parent at a meeting Monday.
Sarah Miller addressed the board about the conduct of an educator, a building principal and the administration.
Before she shared her concerns, Board President Adam Heckaman asked if she had reviewed the school board policy on public comment, to which she said she had.
Heckaman stated school board policy prohibited the discussion of complaints against individual employees during public comment. He also stated Miller must follow the “chain of command” before bringing forward her concerns, starting with the building principal and then the superintendent.
Miller stated she had followed the chain of command and had also “reached out publicly to the entire school corporation regarding this matter.”
“You have 308 combined, thousand, viewers watching you tonight,” Miller said. “Do you really want to pass up this conversation?”
Miller stated the names of the individuals she wished to discuss with the board, despite Heckaman’s reminder of school board policy.
“I was silenced at parent teacher conferences,” Miller said. “Are you going to silence me now that everybody’s watching?”
When Heckaman asked Miller to “refrain from using personnel names,” Miller stated she would not.
“I have a problem with your school corporation, and your failure to hold (personnel) accountable is why I’m here today,” Miller stated. She eventually conceded to keep the names out of her presentation.
Heckaman then asked Miller if she had reached out to the educator in question. Miller stated she had made “several attempts” and had been refused a parent teacher conference as a result of the situation.
TVSC Superintendent Blaine Conley told Miller he would coordinate a meeting with her before she continued.
“With that being said, are you going to let me speak this evening … because you guys are also being held accountable,” Miller said. “Remember, it is (an) election (year), and there is a lot of people watching tonight, students and staff combined.”
Heckaman reminded Miller state law dictates the board does not have to allow her to speak, but he thought it would be “inappropriate” to refuse her and that the board “should hear the public’s complaints.”
Miller then presented her concerns about a “failure of accountability” by a building principal in addressing “verbal harassment” of her child by an educator. She stated the administration’s response was to “silence the parent.”
Miller also stated when she told the principal of her plans to bring her concerns to the educator in question, the principal “barred her from attending” the parent teacher conference.
“I was told that if I showed up to advocate for my child, the police would be called to remove me,” Miller said. “Let me be entirely clear: Standing up for my child against verbal abuse is not a threat … banning a parent from public school events to shield a teacher from accountability is unacceptable abuse of power.”
Miller concluded by asking the board to “launch an immediate, independent investigation into that said teacher’s classroom environment and the administration action taken by the principal.” She said she expects a “formal response regarding how this will be handled.”
In other business, Conley shared information about a TVSC event scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.
The Tippecanoe Valley Student Council, which Conley stated has nicknamed itself the “Viking Helm,” invites the community to attend Valley Family Fun Night. The event will take place in the southwest lot of the high school near the woods, with parking in the main lot.
The event will feature food vendors, a book wagon, a DJ and emcee, fall games, a bounce house provided by the TVHS Future Farmers of America club and a trunk-or-treat hosted by the Akron parent-support group.
There will also be a petting zoo, hayrides for $1 per family, a trail in the woods for older children with adult accompaniment and a “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” trail for younger guests and parents featuring TVHS Drama Club actors.
All proceeds from the family fun night will benefit Riley Children’s Hospital. Freewill donations will be accepted at the gate between the football field and the high school building.
“This is a student-led idea,” Conley said. He added he was “really looking forward to this first opportunity for this and hopefully to make more.”
Additional Business
The board accepted four donations:
• An anonymous donation of $1,731.40 to Akron Elementary School for supplies.
• A donation of $3,270 from Kerlin Motors to TVHS.
• A donation of $500 from Mentone Subway for a TVHS staff meal.
• A donation of $1,000 from Midwest Spring to TVHS to support Vikings of the Month T-shirts.
Conley shared TVSC has been recognized as a Red Wagon Corporation by Riley Children’s Hospital, a distinction he stated has been awarded to only one of 14 school corporations in Indiana.
The designation recognizes school corporations where “every member school participates at the Red Wagon giving level of at least one dollar per student,” he said, adding that all TVSC buildings participated.
“Through these efforts, our students and staff are helping support pediatric research, children’s physical and mental health and access to specialized care at Riley Children’s Hospital,” Conley said. “With over 350 schools last year participating, over $2 million was raised through the foundation, so we’re very proud of our students, staff, families, school communities for demonstrating the generosity and service to others.”
The District Leadership Team, which works with a reading consultant and focuses on explicit instruction, “continues to focus on student literacy, growth and strengthening instructional practice all four” TVSC buildings, Conley said.
The start of the 2027-28 school year is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Aug. 6. Draft calendars for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years will be posted on the TVSC website at a later date.
The next Tippecanoe Valley School Board meeting is set for 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at the administration building near TVHS.
