Defense of Democracy Indiana

Register to host your own event or join a team using the link in our bio! givebutter.com/defense-of-d...

Ready to strike a blow against the forces of darkness banning books in America? Join our Readout campaign during Banned Books Week, Oct. 5th-11th, where Defense of Democracy volunteers across the country will be hosting book readings that feature their favorite banned books. #bannedbooks

Facilitated by our partners at the Unite to Read Project, this workshop will focus on Unite Against Book Bans’ book résumé initiative and how community members can help create materials to defend banned books.

Readout Kickoff Event & Book Resume Workshop‼️
Join us to fight back against book bans through a 1-hour book résumé writing workshop to kick off ReadOut 2025!
Click the link in our bio to register!
#defenseofdemocracy #bannedbooks #bannedbooksweek #volunteer

Want to get involved but don’t know how? We’ll help you! Join us for a free informational workshop to learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities during the 2025/26 school year. This virtual workshop will be hosted on Tuesday, August 26th at 7pm CST/8pm EDT. Click the link in our bio to register!

Join us Tuesday August 5th at 5 PM Pacific/ 8 PM Eastern Time to discuss strategies for protecting public education and navigating school boards. Public Education requires intelligent advocacy and Karen Lawson has the tips and experience necessary for fortifying public education against extremism.

What Indiana’s new absenteeism law actually does — and doesn’t do — to attendance policies • Indiana Capital Chronicle A state senator says online misinformation has mischaracterized Indiana's new chronic absenteeism and attendance policies.

indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/07/15/w...

Worryingly though, the law allows for local prosecuting attorneys to hold intervention meetings with parents before legal action is taken. This runs the risk of creating invasive and needless questioning for families which may have personal and/or excused reasons for absenteeism.

The law provides clarity by defining chronic absenteeism while still giving discretion up to individual schools on enforcing attendance and generating individual education programs with reference to particular circumstances.

Online, there has been much discussion about the new laws taking effect, with some people expressing concerns about these new changes targeting parents and children without regard to medical conditions or circumstance.

Since July 1st, the new Senate Enrolled Act 482 took place addressing chronic absentees in k-12 schools in Indiana. Roughly one in five Indiana students were chronically absent during 2024-2025.

Tomorrow July 22nd, we have our next workshop focused on social media training with our communications chair, Mark Westin. We’re very excited to showcase vital tips and guidelines for your social media outreach! RSVP to our zoom link in bio, 5PM Pacific/8PM Eastern time.

How Trump’s bill will disrupt students’ relationship with the social safety net The legislation backed by Trump and passed by Republicans in Congress could significantly restrict how much help schools get from Medicaid, and how many children receive free school meals. It also inc...

www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/03/h...

Trump's freeze on education grants threatens Indiana programs Tens of millions of dollars in federal grants for Indiana education programs are being withheld during a review by the Trump administration.

www.wishtv.com/news/educati...

These are just some of the ways the Big Beautiful Bill is predicted to harm Indiana education. This bill speaks to the importance of continuing to organize in defense of these institutions especially when they are in jeopardy.

Furthermore, changes to SNAP eligibility criteria means that children of immigrants and refugees could be missing out on free meals, and cuts to Medicaid will reduce funding for schools as well.

Indiana education will be undermined by the recent senate budget reconciliation bill. The freezing of federal education grants jeopardizes public school operations such as summer school and student teaching programs.

Join us this Tuesday, July 8 at 8pm EST with George Neill and Josh Howell to learn how to advocate with ITech safely. Utilizing technology properly and safely is vital for effective advocacy. Be sure to check out our website for tickets and to learn more about Defense of Democracy.

www.wfyi.org/news/article...

www.abc57.com/news/sweepin...

HB 1348 works to legitimize unregulated schools and defangs the importance of public schooling. These are just some of the notable impacts to public education that will soon take place. Read more from the links down below.

Additionally, HB 1515 prevents municipalities from keeping charter schools out of their districts. The assault on trans people continues with HB 1041 banning trans women from competing in college athletics.

Some notable changes to education have taken place since July 1st. Charter schools will now be recieving property tax revenue which could have been allocated to public schools, effectively propping up less inclusive institutions at the expense of public schools.

Defense of Democracy University is kicking off its training program this summer on July 1st with Alexis Danzig: showcasing peaceful protesting and Marshall training tips: Democracy is protected by informed, educated, and responsible political protesters!

August 5: School Board Accountability & Uniform Complaints (Karen Lawson)

August 12: To be determined

August 19: Chapter Chair Training 101 (Karen Svoboda)

August 26: Affiliate Groups: Students/Veterans/Faith Leaders Defending Democracy 101 (Karen Svoboda)

July 1: Peaceful Protest/Marshall Training (Alexis Danzig)

July 8: Tech for Activism (George & Josh)

July 22: Social Media Training 101 (Mark Westin and Karen Svoboda)

July 29: Making the Most of Social Media & Using TikTok Live (Kristen Pickrell)

Defense of Democracy University is an eight week training program for those looking to hone the necessary skills to become effective volunteers and local advocates. Below are the dates for you to learn from real, on the ground, experts over zoom.

Defense of Democracy University This summer, join Defense of Democracy University: An eight-week workshop series built to train and mobilize local advocates. Learn from experts, build real-world skills, and get ready to take action ...

August 12: TBD

August 19: Chapter Chair Training 101

August 26: Affiliate Groups: Students/Veterans/Faith Leaders Defending Democracy 101

We're excited to offer these valuable sessions and look forward to seeing you there!

Click the link to sign up: givebutter.com/dofduniversity

Here's the lineup for our summer series:

July 1: Peaceful Protest/Marshall Training

July 8: Tech for Activism

July 22: Social Media Training 101

July 29: Making the Most of Social Media & Using TikTok Live

August 5: School Board Accountability & Uniform Complaints

Hone your skills with our new Defense of Democracy University workshop series! Every Tuesday, we'll be holding free workshops via Zoom at 8 PM Eastern.

Each session will cover important topics to help us in our mission. Registration is required for all workshops, but it's completely free.

DofD Film Festival 2025 DofD Film Festival June 20-22 2025.

Get your tickets here before it's too late!
sites.google.com/view/dofdfil...