![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
On Feb. 6, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced in a press release his new Eyes on Education portal, which launched on the same day. According to the press release, the new website aimed to “further empower parents in their children’s education” and create transparency by allowing parents to submit and view what they called “potentially inappropriate materials.”
Several examples included in the press release and also found on the new website included a plan to protect and support transgender students at Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation, a Pride/Black Lives Matter flag displayed in a Kokomo school, and a presentation from Martinsville High School about gender stereotypes, identity and transgenderism.
Rokita called his new website “a platform for students and parents to submit and view real examples of socialist indoctrination from classrooms across the state.”
The press release gave no information on how submissions are reviewed or published, or how they are even verified, other than stating his office may contact the submitter for additional information about their submission.
An important note, however, is that a spokesperson from the Indiana Department of Education stated that Rokita’s office did not consult the Indiana Department of Education, which is responsible for overseeing the state’s curriculum.
The website currently lists 13 school districts and the IU School of Medicine, each listing instances of “indoctrination.” However, even within the website, there is little to no evidence provided that any of the plans or pictures are from or were ever used in Indiana schools. In one submission, social media comments were used in a presentation as “evidence” of racism in Center Grove Community Schools’ curriculum. The presentation also went as far as to name teachers.
Even worse still, in one submission, the personal details of teachers are publicly available, including phone numbers and emails, opening the teachers up to harassment and effectively doxing them. In another submission, an email was sent to Rokita’s office over a year ago. The submitter’s personal name, address, email and phone number are also included, and there is nothing within the submission itself stating the submitter wanted the email published.
In another submission regarding Mooresville Consolidated School Corporation, there are over 160 pages of screenshots highlighting and circling any mention of racism, anti-racism, white supremacy, diversity and bias. It even went so far as to essentially stalk and screenshot teachers and faculty on social media for any mention of anything relating to those topics.
When responding to the Indiana Capitol Chronicle on the portal, 12 districts named on the website were not contacted beforehand by the Attorney General, and nine said the information on the portal was inaccurate.
In a statement by an alliance of seven teachers’ unions, they listed out prominent issues with the website, including misinformation, lack of transparency, privacy and political ideology.
“The Attorney General is choosing to push the spread of inaccurate, unfounded and manufactured outrage for his own political gain rather than using his platform to highlight the hard work and achievement of Indiana students and teachers,” the statement said. “Eyes on Education proves that the Attorney General gives no thought or priority to student well-being.”
The group called for the website to be taken down immediately.
The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU) of Indiana said the website is a way to “report schools teaching important racial equity and LGBTQ topics in an effort to intimidate teachers from discussing these issues with students.”
Indiana is in the middle of a teacher shortage, with nearly 1,800 vacancies statewide, and Attorney General Rokita continues to perpetuate an anti-educator climate which will only result in a worse shortage of teachers for Indiana. This isn’t the first time Rokita has targeted public schools as well in the name of furthering transparency for children’s parents. This includes Rokita’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, which includes sections regarding vaccinations, religious expression, transgenderism and homeschooling.
The Eyes on Education portal is a danger to Indiana teachers and only serves to further a conservative culture war against a purported “woke” public education system as well as Rokita’s own political career.
This story was originally published on LHS Magpie on March 8, 2024.