FROM INDIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Indiana educators and school staff were injured by students more than 3,000 times during the 2023-24 school year, according to a new state report. The data highlights an issue educators frequently discuss: the prevalence of student-caused injuries in classrooms.

Some school districts reported over 100 staff injuries caused by students. The incidents are categorized by whether teachers missed work, filed for workers’ compensation, or if the injuries fell under school reporting policies.

A 2023 law requires schools to track and report employee injuries to the Indiana Department of Education annually. Keith Gambill, president of Indiana’s largest teachers’ union, believes the data is a key step in addressing the issue.

“Continuing to work on collecting the data is important,” Gambill said. “But the real focus should be on what we can do to help reduce these numbers.”

The union, which advocated for this reporting system, hopes the information will help ensure educators are working in safer environments. The state plans to release the report annually.