Indiana Non-Public Education Association Accountability Position Statement

The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) supports the concept that schools should be accountable. Accountability though, does not equate to regulation or testing.  INPEA believes a school’s accountability is defined by its obligations to its primary stakeholders, the parents.

INPEA affirms that a non-public school is first accountable to its parents. If parents choose to enroll their student in a non-public school, they have the expectation that their children will receive a high quality and well-rounded education that fits into and is in accordance with the school’s mission. INPEA believes that education starts at home. Parents should be actively involved with the school in their child’s education.

Schools may also choose to participate in programs that require additional accountability which could include state and federal programs, or accreditation. In Indiana, many non-public schools choose to participate in Indiana choice programs. While INPEA recognizes that the Indiana Department of Education may require accountability measures from these participating schools, we defend our schools’ independence and strive to balance accountability and autonomy.

Accountability is a critical component of ensuring that students are educated and prepared after they complete schooling, and INPEA believes non-public schools can achieve that by providing the best possible quality education to its students while protecting its own mission and independence.

INPEA Board of Directors

Reviewed by Communication Committee: January 27, 2017

Content approved by Board of Directors: February 13, 2017

Indiana Non-Public School Accreditation (INPEA Position Statement)

The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) is committed to strengthening student learning through continuous school improvement. Accreditation can provide focus for schools on quality standards and strengthen the pursuit of continuous improvement. INPEA believes that schools should engage in an accreditation process with a recognized accrediting agency.

INPEA recognizes that each of our member schools has autonomy to define and pursue its own unique mission. Therefore, each member school also must have the liberty to select an appropriate accrediting agency. Our schools may choose to pursue accreditation with any of the recognized regional or national accrediting agencies (e.g. AdvancED, ACSI, CSI, ISACS, NLSA, etc.) or with the Indiana Department of Education.

Accreditation has a number of benefits including access to state funding and programs, fostering collaboration and dialogue between non-public and public schools, and providing a common “measure” for parents. Accreditation or recognition is also a criterion for participation in Indiana High School Athletic Association events. Accreditation is also a requirement for participation in Indiana’s exemplary school choice programs, like vouchers from the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program and scholarships from the Tax Credit Scholarship Program

The state accreditation process must not hinder a non-public school in defining and pursuing its mission. However, the process does require several legal standards that all schools must satisfy, including the state assessments and information reporting.

Any school, whether a public school or a non-public school, seeking accreditation by the Indiana Department of Education must meet the same set of requirements: compliance with legal standards, completion of a school improvement plan, and review of student achievement indicators. It was established by statute more than 18 years ago, and since that time the procedures and process have undergone modifications by the Indiana State Board of Education. Non-public schools are able to use their own evaluation model and process if those models are approved in advance by the Indiana Department of Education.

The Freeway School Program is an alternative to regular accreditation. This program allows a school to contract with the State Board of Education to achieve high levels of student achievement, attendance, and graduation rate. The program offers greater flexibility for schools to determine the curricula and staffing needs by waiving some state regulations.

INPEA will continue to work with IDOE representatives to ensure that state accreditation reporting processes, both traditional and Freeway, are not overly burdensome to non-public schools, especially smaller schools with limited administrative personnel resources.

In conclusion, INPEA Board of Directors encourages and supports efforts by non-public schools to pursue accreditation as a pathway toward ongoing school improvement.

Indiana Non-Public Education Association Board of Directors
Initial revision – February 12, 2002
Revised: September 14, 2010
Revision approved: November 16, 2010
September 1, 2016, revised.
Revision approved by Communication Committee: January 27, 2017
Revision approved by INPEA Board: February 13, 2017

Public-Private School Dual Enrollment (INPEA Position Statement)

The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) supports the concept of “dual enrollment” and does not see a legal impediment in either the Indiana Constitution, U.S. Constitution or Indiana law. It is in the State’s interest to ensure that its citizens are afforded a broad range of educational opportunities.

INPEA affirms that cooperation and collaboration between public and non-public school officials to provide for the “common good” of children is positive and should be the norm.

INPEA recognizes that there are cautions one must observe in public/private partnerships. The integrity and mission of the public and non-public schools must not be compromised in the agreements or implementation of cooperative programs or during collaboration on mutual areas of interest. Local school officials should determine legal and practical matters relating to where, when, and how cooperative ventures are implemented.

INPEA believes that motivation for dual enrollment programs should be the common good and assistance of the students involved.

INPEA supports fair and equitable compensation for the providers of educational services. Reimbursement for courses or services should be proportional to the costs.

INPEA Board of Directors
February 12, 2002
September 1, 2016, revised
Revision approved by Communication Committee: January 27, 2017
Content approved by Board of Directors: February 13, 2017

INPEA Position Statement Religious Liberty

The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) supports the religious diversity and religious liberties of our member school communities.

Every child is an individual, and every student arrives at school with a unique set of abilities, needs, and goals. That’s why the diversity of Indiana’s schools is one of our state’s greatest strengths. Hoosier families choose from a broad range of school types, academic settings, and educational programs. The choices available in Indiana help ensure that every child’s individual needs are met.

Schools are not all the same, but all contribute to an educated citizenry. All of Indiana’s schools — public and non-public, secular and faith-based — serve the common good. This is no less true of religious and parochial schools. The first schools in our state were founded by religious communities long before public schools were organized, and many continue to serve students today.

Many Indiana families voluntarily choose to enroll their children in faith-based schools. This choice is protected by Indiana law. Among INPEA’s 400 members there are schools affiliated with Catholic, Lutheran, Christian, Jewish, Adventist, Muslim, or independent and non-denominational.

Religious faith and expression are not a purely private matters to be confined to the four walls of a church, synagogue, or mosque; rather, faith is something to be lived out in community. Therefore, every faith-based school has the right and the responsibility to define its mission, programs, and practices according to the sincerely held religious beliefs and traditions of its faith community.

Hoosier families and students participating in the income-based Indiana choice programs do not, and should not give up their right to select a faith-based school. In 2013, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Choice Scholarship Program does not violate the Indiana Constitution. In 1925, the United States Supreme Court, in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, affirmed as a fundamental principle of liberty that the child is not the “mere creature of the state.” This landmark decision excluded any general power of the state to force children to attend only public schools, consequently upholding the natural right of parents to choose the means of educating their children.

Likewise, non-public schools choosing to participate in state accreditation or choice programs do not forfeit the right to define their missions, programs, and practices according to sincerely held religious beliefs and faith traditions.

INPEA encourages its members to disclose information about school mission, religious beliefs and practices, curriculum, and expectations of students, parents, employees, and guests. Our faith-based schools should share detailed information about religious beliefs and practices, school mission, admissions procedures, religious instruction, employment criteria, facility use policies, expectations of student conduct, disciplinary procedures, and handbooks for students, parents, and personnel. These resources must be clear, consistent, and affirmed by all associated with the school.

Religious belief and expression are the first liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. INPEA supports the religious diversity and the religious freedoms of our member school communities, and their ability to educate all students who choose to attend.

INPEA Board of Directors
February 13, 2017

INPEA Position Statement School Choice

School choice programs must respect the integrity and identity of non-public schools. Participation in such programs should not result in a sacrifice of schools’ educational mission, philosophy, creed, or governance.

The Indiana Non-Public Education Association (INPEA) supports the natural and constitutional right of parents to choose the school that they believe is best suited to meet the needs of their children. Since its founding, Indiana’s education system has included religious, independent, home, and other privately funded schools as well as public schools. This broad range of school types and curriculum approaches serves the public interest by fostering innovation in education and accommodating the widely varying needs of Hoosier children and families.

In 1925, the United States Supreme Court, in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, affirmed as a fundamental principle of liberty that the child is not the “mere creature of the state.” This landmark decision excluded any general power of the state to force children to attend only public schools, consequently upholding the natural right of parents to choose the means of educating their children. In doing so, the Court soundly rejected the public school prejudice of the times and affirmed that non-public schools also serve the common good. Furthermore, in 2013 the Indiana Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Choice Scholarship Program does not violate the Indiana Constitution. Today, non-public schools continue to provide a quality education that is responsive to the rights of parents as the primary educators of their children.

One in four of Indiana’s elementary and secondary schools are privately funded; ten percent of all K-12 students attend them. Strong statements of mission and purpose define these non-public schools. These schools encompass the values and needs of the families they serve and they are accountable directly to their families and sponsoring communities. They are religious and secular, large and small, urban and rural. They serve diverse economic populations and are multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

Most parents who currently choose non-public schools for their children exercise their constitutional right at significant cost and personal sacrifice; they bear a dual burden of paying school tuition while also contributing their share of taxes to support government-funded schools. The education of children in Indiana’s non-public schools provides substantial annual tax savings to the people of this state.

INPEA affirms all parents’ ability to choose a school that best fits their child’s needs. Attainment of full and equitable parental choice in education as well as the protection of each school’s mission and integrity is one of our primary public policy objectives. We advocate the enactment of legislation and policies which will maximize the quality of educational opportunities for all of Indiana’s children – particularly the children of the financially disadvantaged – by ensuring that all parents have access to the financial capability to exercise the right to choose the school they believe is best for their children.

To this end, we believe that:
Any legislation and policy to improve Indiana’s schools must include a commitment to provide all parents true, full and equitable educational choice.
True choice exists when all parents have strong, quality options in more than one system.
Educational choice programs must respect the integrity and identity of non-public schools. Participation in such programs should not result in a sacrifice of their educational mission, philosophy, creed, or governance.
Non-public schools serve the public good. Therefore, as the Indiana Supreme Court has held, it is legitimate to use public funds in support of children and families’ choice of non-public schools.
INPEA provides a voice for the thousands of families who depend on school choice programs to secure the best possible education for their children. It is imperative that we all continue to actively support the rights of parents to educate their children in the schools of their choice, while protecting the rights of non-public schools to fulfill their unique missions.

INPEA Board of Directors
November 14, 2000
Revised: June 10, 2010
Revision Approved November 16, 2010
September 1, 2016, revised
Revision approved by Communication Committee: January 27, 2017
Revision approved by INPEA Board of Directors: February 13, 2017