BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY — A local school board voted 5-1 Monday night to do more in-depth tracking when school employees are hurt at work.
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation school board approved the School Employee Injury Reporting Policy, which will require the school district to track when a worker is injured by another person while on the job.
School board member Jason Major introduced the policy following a WRTV Investigation into teachers injured on the job and how schools report it.
“We’ve seen numerous cases. I mean, I’ve got one right here-- a picture of a teacher that has bruises all up and down her arms because she was kind of beat up in a classroom,” said Major at Monday’s school board meeting. “We talk about a teacher shortage. We need to find a way to make sure our classrooms are safe for the teachers."
School board member Whittney Loyd said while the policy needs improvement, she voted yes.
“I don’t want to get in the way of tracking something that could potentially support our teachers,” said Loyd. “I think the policy needs some work.”
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation issued the following statement on the new policy:
“BCSC’s highest responsibility and top priority is the safety of all students, staff, and families in our school community. Our corporation remains fully committed to complying with federal, state, and local requirements to ensure accurate reporting and foster a culture where everyone feels safe, valued, and connected. We work closely with school employees, School Resource Officers, and local law enforcement to provide a safe learning environment in our schools. Together, we create the conditions for safe schools and stronger student outcomes.”
WRTV Investigates has been looking into the problem of teacher injuries since 2019.
We found all kinds of injuries across the state — teachers hit, punched, kicked, hair pulled, headbutted and some suffering from concussions.
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation has 2,000 employees.
The policy goes beyond state law because it also requires the school corporation to track threats and attempts to hurt a school employee.
"The hope is by understanding what almost could have happened, and that could be because somebody threw a chair,” said school board member Jason Major.
Per a 2023 state law, public schools and charter schools are required to report to the Indiana Department of Education when a school employee is hurt on the job by a student, including when the injury was:
- Reported to workers’ compensation
- Caused the employee to miss all or part of one or more workdays
- Required to be reported to the school pursuant to the school’s reporting policy
In response to new changes in state law, BCSC’s new policy will require the district to send semi-annual reports to the Indiana Department of Labor.
Current state law mandates annual reporting from schools.
But Jason Major’s proposal will also require monthly reporting to the school board, as well as end-of-the-semester reports.
"I wanted to get something quicker,” said Major. “This allows us to react more efficiently because we get data more frequently. We want to understand, did we trend up or down for the month?”
A committee of safety and security team leaders, school board members, school faculty and staff, as well as parents of students, will review the incident reports under the new policy.
"If we exclude the parents from trying to solve the problem, we will never solve the problem,” said Major. “It’s not just teachers who should be raising the kids, it’s the parents.”
Last summer, our investigation introduced you to Melissa Streeval, a teacher who resigned from the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation after she says she was hurt on the job by students.
She says both times, she was trying to stop a student from hurting other kids on the playground.
“He was stomping on my feet, kicking my legs,” said Streeval. “The bottom half of my legs were completely red and swollen. I just couldn’t calm him."
In the state’s new School Employee Injury Report, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation listed 20 total incidents for the 2024-25 school year.
For the 2023-24 school year, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation reported 142 total incidents of school employee injuries, which is 86% higher than the 2024-25 school year total of 20 incidents.
Streeval doubts the numbers are accurate.
“No, because I have 10 incidents myself,” said Streeval. “A lot of coworkers of mine had reports the same days as I did.”
The district also lists 0 incidents where an injured employee missed part of a workday or more.
“I was sent home after recess, and I was told to stay home and rest and elevate the next day,” said Streeval. “So, to me that would have qualified."
WRTV Investigates asked Jason Major if our story prompted him to draft a new policy for the school district.
"I think when your story came out it made me see it from a different perspective,” said Major.
Major said he’s heard from half a dozen school employees who said they were injured by students.
"I just have the picture of the arm and all throughout the arm is bruises, and it all occurred at school,” said Major.
Major said his wife is a teacher out of the district, plus he has friends who are teachers who’ve been hurt on the job.
WRTV Investigates asked BCSC specifically about the huge decrease in reported incidents from 142 to 20.
"Following its 2024 report, BCSC reviewed the IDOE guidance, sought additional guidance, and discovered that it over-reported data in its 2024 report," read the district's written statement. "BCSC’s 2025 report reflects accurate data consistent with the IDOE’s guidance. Additionally, BCSC cannot and does not discuss specific individual employee incidents due to various privacy laws."
Major hopes his policy will improve accuracy and transparency surrounding school employee injuries.
“I think in our case, there’s some interpretation issues, and I hope that this helps to clarify by putting it in our own policy that’s clear cut,” said Major. “So, to be a problem solver, I’m an engineer, you have to have good data. If you don’t have good data, you will never solve any problem."
Melissa Streeval provided the following statement regarding the policy:
"I want to thank Mr. Major for working on behalf of BCSC teachers who are facing challenges in the classroom on a daily basis. This proposed policy is a great first step that will allow teachers to feel heard. As the policy says, injuries to staff by students may seem insignificant on paper, but when it occurs repeatedly and escalates, it must be addressed. I hope the next step involves the root of the situation—addressing the behaviors themselves through proper support and training. There must be a balance of intervention and consequences, so that ALL students and staff feel safe in the classroom."
