I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying a slower pace than anything you experienced in May! 

This is my first message as executive director, and I’m honored to serve in this role. Having led a non-public school for the past eighteen years, I deeply understand the value of an association like INPEA. You receive countless messages from vendors and community members asking for your attention. INPEA exists not to add to that noise, but to advocate for you, foster meaningful engagement, and support your mission. 

If we haven’t had the chance to meet, I look forward to connecting with you at the INPEC Conference or our 50th Anniversary Gala this September. 

Wishing you a restful and refreshing summer! 

James

2025 Legislative Session Guidance

The IDOE team has prepared a document that can serve as a one-stop-shop as you work to interpret and implement the new laws applicable to your school. They will continue to update and expand this document as they work through the many new laws passed in 2025. This is an iterative document that will continue to be updated and improved in collaboration with educators. 

Special Education Frequently Asked Questions

IDOE’s Office of Special Education has outlined frequently asked questions addressing common topics pertaining to special education. Contact the Office of Special Education with any questions.

INPEC 2025 Registration Now Open!

Register today for INPEC 2025! Have questions about the conference? Download the 2025 Registration Brochure, which highlights individual sessions and provides a good overview of the conference. 

We have built a program featuring dynamic speakers in topics related to nine learning strands. In this newsletter, we highlight the Meeting the Needs of All Students strand. Sessions in this strand will focus on how to design the learning environment and activities so that all students can be successful. These topics cover meeting the needs of learners who benefit from specially designed instruction, may be English Language Learners (ELL), or have emotional needs that must be met. Check out these sessions: 

• Engaging the Disengagement Dilemma
• What’s the IDEA? And How It Can Help You Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners
• Brain Basics: How to Regain a Calm and Focused Mindset in Time of Big Emotions
• Bounce Back: Building Resilience in Students
• Executive Function: A System's Approach with Flexibility
• Educational Technology To Support Multilingual Learners
• Fabulous & Fragile: Understanding the Complex Intersection Between Mental Health, Tech, & Our Kids. And Exploring Compassionate Solutions to Support Families
• A Healthy Relationship with Technology
• Empowering Secondary Multilingual Learners
• Screening, Assessments, Data, OH MY!
• 10 Strategies for Building a More Trauma-Informed Classroom Right Now
• Walking In Their Shoes: Experience Dyslexia First-Hand
• Lessons from the Barbershop: Skills and Strategies in Mentoring Boys and Young Men Towards Academic Success
• The Third Teacher: The Learning Environment

Hotels

For information about conference hotels, please download this document. The INPEC room block at the Hyatt is SOLD OUT. There are plenty of remaining rooms available at the Embassy Suites and Westin. The hotel document linked above also includes information about assistance with booking a block of rooms for your team.

Registering 10+ Attendees

If your INPEA member school would like to register more than 10 people for INPEC, we are happy to assist you if you would like to save some time! Group registrations of 10 or more registrants can be submitted using this file template. If you would like our help registering your attendees, please follow these steps:

1. Save the Google sheet linked above and below to your own device as an Excel file (File > Download > Microsoft Excel). Do NOT request edit access to this Google sheet.
2. Complete the contact information for each registrant. You can use your school’s phone number and street address for all registrants, but each registrant must have their own name and email included.
3. Save the file and email it to Andrea Anderson at aanderson@inpea.org.
4. If you anticipate new hires, we can switch or add the names and contact information before the conference.

Please note, this process can only be used if your school plans to pay via check or purchase order. If you wish to pay via credit card, you will need to register everyone individually.

We hope to see your team on September 18 and 19 at the Indiana Convention Center for INPEC 2025! 

50th Anniversary Sponsorship Opportunities

Thanks to a generous gift from Mike and Heather McGinley of Indianapolis, the first 50 schools to purchase a full table sponsorship ($1,200) will receive a $1,000 donation to their school’s SGO account. Please note, only schools purchasing full tables are eligible for this SGO gift. Thirty-four schools have already taken advantage of this opportunity!

Thank you to the following schools for purchasing a table: 

Bishop Chatard High School, Indianapolis

Cardinal Ritter High School, Indianapolis

Cathedral High School, Indianapolis

Clear Creek Christian School, Bloomington

Columbus Christian School, Columbus

Concordia Lutheran High School, Fort Wayne

Emmanuel-St. Michael Lutheran School, Fort Wayne

Evansville Christian School, Newburgh

Good Shepherd Catholic School, Evansville

Greenwood Christian Academy, Greenwood

Heritage Christian School, Indianapolis

Highland Christian School, Highland

Holy Cross Lutheran School, Indianapolis

Holy Rosary Catholic School, Evansville

Holy Spirit Catholic School, Indianapolis

Illiana Christian High School, Dyer

Lafayette Catholic School System, Lafayette

Marian High School, Mishawaka

Mater Dei High School, Evansville

Mother Theodore Catholic Academies

Providence Cristo Rey High School, Indianapolis

Reitz Memorial High School, Evansville

Roncalli High School, Indianapolis

Scecina Memorial High School, Indianapolis

St. Luke Catholic School, Indianapolis

St. Mark Catholic School, Indianapolis

St. Monica Catholic School, Indianapolis

St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Fort Wayne

St. Peter’s Lutheran School, Fort Wayne

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, Franklin

St. Theodore Guerin High School, Noblesville

St. Thomas More School, Munster

St. Wendel Catholic School, Wadesville

Tabernacle Christian School, Martinsville

The graphic below highlights our progress towards that goal. Tables and sponsorships can be purchased during this fiscal year or next. For more information, please download the sponsorship packet below or contact Chris Brunson. 

Help us “sell out” the Indiana Roof Ballroom! We encourage you to invite board members, pastors, central Indiana alumni, other stakeholders, and of course, teachers, to join you as guests at your Gala table. We will not need names for your table until August 29, so you have plenty of time to decide who to invite!

As an additional incentive for your potential table guests, INPEA will host a board-focused educational session from 3:15-4:15 p.m. on the afternoon of the Gala. This is the last sectional of INPEC on Thursday and any board member or table guest is invited to attend this session at no additional cost. The topic of this session will be the impact of universal choice – so we think board members will find this highly informative! See the link below for more information about this session. 

We hope you will join us in celebrating 50 years of INPEA on September 18th! Find out more about the Gala and purchase your sponsorship at https://bit.ly/INPEAis50. 

Secured School Safety Grants/Nonpublic Security Grant

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security is accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2026 Secured School Safety Grant (FY26 SSSG). The application period will close June 30, at 4:30 p.m. ET. No late or incomplete applications will be accepted.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity for FY26 SSSG includes all the information necessary for a successful grant application for the SSSG program. Before submitting your application:

1. Be registered in IntelliGrants.
2. Have an active bidder number with the state of Indiana.
3. Have an active supplier number with the state of Indiana.
4. Sign up for Grant updates.

The period of performance for the FY26 SSSG will be September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026. This is a matching grant requiring schools to locally fund 50% of eligible projects. Since 2014, Indiana has awarded more than $187 million in SSSG grants to support school security. Last year, 499 schools received more than $24 million in awards.

Click here for complete information on the SSSG program and the history of awards distributed.

Churches and nonprofit schools are also eligible for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). This grant funds 100% of eligible project costs after an initial risk assessment. Eligible costs include a broad range of physical security enhancements. Unlike the SSSG, NSGP does not fund wages for School Resource Officers.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has assured states that funding is coming for a 2025 round of the NSGP, but due to uncertainty regarding the federal timeline, Indiana has not yet opened an application. Once opened, the submission window will likely be short. It is recommended that organizations intending to apply start preparing now using the information for last year’s grant posted here. To be sure you are the first to know when the NSGP application window opens, you can subscribe to IDHS grant updates.

3 Mistakes to Avoid When Aligning Curriculum Across Grade Levels

Curriculum alignment is crucial for ensuring consistency and continuity in student learning. This insightful piece highlights common pitfalls educators face when aligning curriculum across grade levels and provides practical solutions to foster a seamless educational experience for students. 

👉 Read the full article

Creating a Clear Instructional Vision for the 2025–2026 School Year

As the 2024–2025 school year concludes, it's an opportune time for educators and school leaders to reflect and strategize for the upcoming year. This blog post delves into the importance of establishing a clear instructional vision that aligns curriculum, supports teachers, and empowers students. It offers actionable steps to create a cohesive educational approach tailored to different grade levels.

👉 Read the full article

Higher Education Doesn’t Have to Come at a Higher Price

Students looking for an affordable start to their future should look to Ivy Tech! The Ivy+ Tuition & Textbooks Initiative offers Indiana’s best value in higher education, with low tuition rates and one flat, per-credit-hour textbook fee. Not only that, Ivy Tech awards over $100 million in financial aid like scholarships, grants, and Federal Work-Study opportunities. Thanks to resources like these, 4/5 Ivy Tech graduates leave with NO college debt!

Encourage your students to see how they can save money on their future degree by visiting ivytech.edu.

There’s Still Time to Launch Friendzy This Fall!

Don’t stress—you’ve still got time to bring Friendzy to your school this fall! This faith-based character program teaches students skills for good and skills for life—like empathy, self-control, and wise decision-making.

The result? Fewer school disruptions, calmer classrooms, and students who think before they act.

• Order by June 30th to get everything in time for day one.
• Bonus: Delayed billing available (Title II & IV eligible).

Ready to jump in or see Friendzy in action? Reach out to Lead Partnership Specialist Whitney Stovall, MS, NCC at whitney@friendzy.co, or schedule a quick call or demo here!

Let’s keep growing classrooms where every student feels safe, seen, and supported!

Office of the Indiana State Chemist Clean Sweep Pesticide Disposal Program 

The Office of the Indiana State Chemist hosts and annual Clean Sweep Pesticide Disposal Program to collect and dispose of suspended, canceled, banned, unusable, opened, unopened, or just unwanted pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, miticides, etc.). This disposal service is free of charge up to 250 pounds per participant. Over 250 pounds there will be a $3.00 per pound charge. This is a great opportunity for your school to legally dispose of unwanted products at little or no cost.

August 12, 2025: LaPorte County 

Pinney Purdue Ag Center

11402 S. Co. Line Road

Wanatah, IN 46390 

August 13, 2025: Vigo County 

Keystone Cooperative

2500 S. 13th St.

Terre Haute, IN 47802 

August 14, 2025: Decatur County 

Kova Fertilizer

1330 N. Anderson St. 

Greensburg, IN 47240 

August 19, 2025: Clark County 

Clark County Solid Waste District

112 Industrial Way

Charlestown, IN 47111 

August 20, 2025: Whitley County 

Ag Plus

5501 S. State Rd. 9

Columbia City, IN 46725 

August 21, 2025: Hendricks County 

Hendricks County Fairgrounds 

1900 E. Main St.

Danville, IN 46122

Complete the Clean Sweep Pesticide Disposal Participant Form linked below to the best of your ability. Mail, fax or e-mail the completed form to Mitch Trimble at 765-494-4331 or cleansweep@groups.purdue.edu no later than Fri., August 8, 2025. Questions may be directed to Mitch at 765-494-7142. 

Bring your leak-free and safe to transport containers to the collection site. DO NOT mix materials. Empty pesticide containers will not be accepted, please follow label directions for proper disposal of empty pesticide containers. Bulk containers not documented on your form will not be accepted. 

Contact: Michallene Thacker-Mann

Contact: Mike Rivard

Contact: Joy Roberts

Contact: Katie Lash

Contact: Dr. Ken Britt

Contact: Rob Pizzauro

Contact: Cathy Tooley

Would you like to be come an INPEA Business Partner or know a business that would be a good fit? Check out our website here or contact John Elcesser at jelcesser@inpea.org for more information!

Agudath Israel of America

Archdiocese of Indianapolis

Association of Christian Schools International

Christian Schools International

Diocese of Evansville

Diocese of Fort Wayne- South Bend

Diocese of Gary

Diocese of Lafayette

Indiana Association of Christian Schools

Indiana Association of Independent Schools

Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod - Indiana District

The Lutheran School Partnership

American Federation for Children

Council for American Private Education

Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice

Indiana Catholic Conference

Indiana Department of Education

Institute for Quality Education

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education 



Mission

The Indiana Non-Public Education Association serves as an advocate,

promotes engagement, and strives for the advancement of non-public schools. 

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