Muncie mom says son suspended for not taking ISTEP

MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) – An Indiana mom says her son is now suspended after she refused to let him take the ISTEP. It’s something other parents across the state have done successfully.

There isn’t a state law governing how schools should handle the situation. Each individual school district is responsible to come up with its own policy.

Debora Harty sent a letter to Cowan Community School Corporation in Muncie asking that her son be removed from ISTEP testing last week. She received a letter back denying her request. The letter also mentioned that missing the test is insubordinate and can lead to disciplinary action. Monday, Harty called the WISH-TV newsroom and said her son had been given a three-day in-school suspension.

Harty explained why she doesn’t want her son taking the test.

“This goes toward the funding of the schools and the teachers, and it’s not fair to put these children through these long hours of testing which doesn’t come back to prove anything for them,” said Harty.

24-Hour News 8 has not been able to speak to the school district about what will happen with the child’s grade.

In another case, a Lafayette student who is not taking the ISTEP will receive a “did not pass” grade. That could affect whether his teacher gets a raise since the state evaluates teachers using students’ ISTEP scores.