February 14, 2024

"Indiana teachers unions are calling for the state attorney general to shut down a new website that invites parents to report 'potentially inappropriate materials' in schools..."

"... describing the measure as a 'blatant attack' on educators.'Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) last week launched the Eyes on Education website, which he said is a 'transparency portal' for parents to see 'real examples of socialist indoctrination from classrooms'.... Alongside the form for submissions, Rokita’s office linked the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which in part outlines the state’s legislative efforts, including a bill passed in 2023 that requires schools to catalogue their library books and allows parents to request removal.... As of Tuesday evening, the portal had more than 30 documents uploaded to it.... One document showed a photo of a rainbow Pride flag hanging on a school wall, emblazoned with a raised fist — a symbol of Black power. Another was a screenshot of a scholarship form that said priority would be given to students from underrepresented groups...."

From "Indiana AG’s site to report school content ignites fear for teachers" (WaPo).

73 comments:

rehajm said...

Unions are ‘calling for?’ What does this mean? What are the consequences if the call response is ‘no’?

Rusty said...

God forbid parents have a say in thier kids education.
Word of advice. Get your kids out of public education.

MadisonMan said...

The best way to be involved in your kids' education is to volunteer in the classroom. I did that when my kids were in elementary school.

AlbertAnonymous said...

OMG not that? How dare these “parents” watch over their kids and the schools they attend.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

The lights are on and the cockroaches are panicking.

mikee said...

Public sector unions are anathema to the proper function of representative democracy.

The Teachers Union keeps teachers safe from accountability to the public, and does education of children a huge disservice by making the state Education Departments beholden not to their consumers, the public, but to their employees, the teachers. That this is ass backwards seems to be ignored by most.

Deirdre Mundy said...

What the frig is a school library doing NOT cataloguing its books and being able to run a report on the books they have?

If they aren't doing this, it's just bad library practice and the librarians should be fired.

Dave Begley said...

Well, these so-called educators should be attacked. They have no right to feed leftwing propaganda to kids.

CJinPA said...

"...real examples of socialist indoctrination from classrooms" is clunky, overly partisan language that wasn't necessary. Just say "political" or "ideological" indoctrination.

But the 'raised fist'? Absolutely go after that. Who are they threatening to punch?

Should the website include a feature to "request removal"? Perhaps you allow parents to upload examples and view, and then let them request removal at their local school board.

It will be interesting to see left-wing activists attempt to use this to make a point. Posting text on Revolutionary War heroes (if they still write about them) as "terrorists." Or "racists."

tommyesq said...

Schools are quite terrified of parents finding out what is taking place therein.

tommyesq said...

Alongside the form for submissions, Rokita’s office linked the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which in part outlines the state’s legislative efforts, including a bill passed in 2023 that requires schools to catalogue their library books and allows parents to request removal....

That sentence is not clear - is there a Parents' Bill of Rights that has been enacted into law or appended to the state's constitution? If so, did the 2023 bill re library catalogs pass and become enacted into law, or is it merely something that remains pending? Either way, it seems incredibly wrong to treat informing parents about the law in the state as some kind of bad thing for teachers.

rcocean said...

Oh, the teachers are "Fearful", oh heavens to betsy. Professors and "Educators" are always so "Fearful" of parents knowing what they are doing in the classroom. Just behave yourself and don't push your weird politics and beliefs on kids, and you won't have anything to worry about.

There seems to be a real disconnect between teachers think is the purpose of school, and the true purpose of schools. The purpose of local schools is NOT to "free" kids of parents values and beliefs and impose those liked by teachers. Its to teach the values approved by the community. The same is true of school libraries. They exist to provide students with books that reflect the communities values and not oppose them. Librarians don't get to stock school libraries with books that reflect THEIR values, when it is in opposition to the parents.

I always have trouble understanding why anyone would disagree with this. Usually, they end up arguing absurd hypotheticals like "What if the community loved the KKK, huh"? To which I rely when some community does that, lets talk about it.

There's no obligation, or should no obligation, for a school to teach about the Holocaust, or MLK, or Black Power, or whatever, unless the people of that community school want it. If they think Maus is disgusting book, unfit for their kids, it should be removed. Let the people rule!

Oh Yea said...

Sounds like the teachers need to given a remedial class on the First Amendment.

gspencer said...

Teachers receive a public paycheck. What they do is open to public inspection.

Clyde said...

Oderint dum metuant.

Mason G said...

Cameras in every classroom, videos uploaded to the internet daily. Taxpayers deserve to be able to see what they're paying for.

Mark said...

"Cameras in every classroom, videos uploaded to the internet daily. Taxpayers deserve to be able to see what they're paying for."

Think it should apply to Legislative offices and meeting rooms too. Taxpayers are paying.

Kate said...

Bobby has a new border video up. Students in Sierra Vista, AZ, step over a dead body in order to board the school bus, and when they get to class, migrants rattle the locked doors.

The Left loves a battle over the pride flag. It means they don't have time or space to report on the real horror happening to children and parents.

Oligonicella said...

Many 'educators' see the podium and lectern not as a benefit to the dissemination of information to an audience but as a seat to exercise power over said audience. Many times, they refuse to relinquish that belief even after retiring.

Will Cate said...

Whatever good intentions, open systems like this are always subject to mischief, especially when they make the news... woe betide whatever techie or administrator has to separate the shit-from-Shinola at the receiving end.

Scott M said...

Check, meet balance.

"Life is pain, princess. Anyone that says otherwise is selling something."

CJinPA said...

That sentence is not clear - is there a Parents' Bill of Rights that has been enacted into law or appended to the state's constitution?

I can't read WAPO, but that term in modern use almost never means an actual Bill of Rights, just legislation.

If so, did the 2023 bill re library catalogs pass and become enacted into law, or is it merely something that remains pending?

He didn't need legislation to set up the website. He's not compelling anything, just enabling it.

Hassayamper said...

Who in the flaming f**king HELL do these people think they are? They are not co-parents or psychologists or doctors. They are our hired help, employed by us to teach academic subjects to our children exactly as we f**king well order them to do, and they will produce every single item of their lesson plans, classroom decor, class assignments, library books, and on the job emails for public inspection any time we damn well demand it.

If they can't handle that, then they should get off the public payroll. I'm sick to death of arrogant lazy teachers, and their constant attempts to indoctrinate our children with far left propaganda, and their insatiably greedy unions. I make it a habit to vote against all new school bonds and will do so until these fifth-column termites are brought to heel.

Joe Smith said...

Parents pay the salaries of the teachers, as well as support the entire school system.

Accountability and transparency are the least they could provide.

Democracy Dies in Darkness®

Joe Smith said...

'Think it should apply to Legislative offices and meeting rooms too. Taxpayers are paying.'

Every public employee, not just law enforcement, should wear a body cam that is always on.

These days public employees make a lot of money as well as benefits.

If they don't like it, they can quit.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

"Think it should apply to Legislative offices and meeting rooms too. Taxpayers are paying."

You think that people on the right would object to this?!

Ron Winkleheimer said...

There is a science fiction novel by David Brin, called Earth, that posits a not to distant future where, after a series of disasters caused by people engineering viruses in there home labs, privacy is non-existent. Any attempt by anyone to escape surveillance at any time is viewed with extreme suspicion and simply not allowed. This situation is further made possible by the existence of ubiquitous, tiny surveillance cameras and microphones that are everywhere. The lack of privacy also applies to governments.

J Severs said...

Parents pounce.

NYC JournoList said...

The website is hosted by the state of Indiana. https://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/education-liberty/

This is not like a parent creating their own site.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Of course if legislative offices and meeting rooms were under 24 hour surveillance that was accessible to the public then the nefarious plotting would move to homes and other venues.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

By the way, the novel was published in 1990 and is set in 2038.

Drago said...

The commie groomers sure dont like parents to know what they are up to, do they Dumb Lefty Mark?

hombre said...

They should be relieved that reporting does not include "ideological lunacy."

Is there any setback lefties don't whinge about?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Ah but having the little ones narc on their parents was AOK with the union. They were happy to get reports on what parents were gun owners, probably Trump voters too. Parents have a divine right to know what their children are being taught and must use every means available to exercise that right. The curtain was pulled back during the COVID scam, one of the unforeseen consequences the ruling class didn't game out very well beforehand, and parents saw what was going on behind their backs and as a whole became VERY involved in the education industrial complex.

If you don't like or want parental supervision DON'T GO INTO TEACHING. My door was always unlocked unless we were having one of those drills. Any parent had the right to drop in any time, and I encouraged it, because students feared the drop-in way more than I ever would. I wish more parents would observe classroom dynamics. It would probably help teachers quite a bit when it comes to those few pupils with discipline problems.

You don't want a hotline? Great we're replacing it with a webcam with a pan and zoom feature and only giving the IP address to parents and admins. Deal?

Gusty Winds said...

Priests didn't want you to know what they were doing with your children either. Neither did Jerry Sandusky.

Now public school teachers don't want parents knowing anything. I don't see the difference.

We want "transparency" from our elected officials, but public school teachers think they are immune?

They work for the local parents who are the taxpayers they despise. Horrible. Unethical. Creepy.

n.n said...

Fiduciary progress to divest from mom and dad. That said, trans/homosexual grooming occurred in darkness, and Levine's dreams of Herr Mengele are known to be realized without parental consent.

Esteban said...

How dare the citizens know what public employees are doing!!!!

Oh no, the public employees are afraid of the citizens knowing what they are doing!

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I see other minds turned to the same idea:

Cameras in every classroom, videos uploaded to the internet daily. Taxpayers deserve to be able to see what they're paying for.

Think it should apply to Legislative offices and meeting rooms too. Taxpayers are paying.


Sure. We actually have open meeting laws in most states. Evil hates the light, to paraphrase Jesus.

Aggie said...

They're not worried about getting the feedback. They're worried about other parents reading the feedback, and getting dangerous ideas, or even worse, getting organized to do something about them.

'Union work, on the Taxpayer's dime'

Mason G said...

"Parents pay the salaries of the teachers, as well as support the entire school system."

To be fair, so do non-parents.

Misinforminimalism said...

Keeping the "L" in public education. Good on 'em.

Drago said...

Dumb Lefty Mark: "Think it should apply to Legislative offices and meeting rooms too. Taxpayers are paying."

Ron Winkleheimer: "You think that people on the right would object to this?!"

It is amusing how moronically ill-informed and ignorant these Dumb Lefties like Mark are of what conservatives actually believe.

Lefty bubbles are impervious to history, logic and reason.

Its reminiscent of the Roe vs Wade aftermath when the Dumb Lefties got angry and came up with what they thought was a big "gotcha!" with the idea that, ok, a woman cant get an abortion?! Fine! Then the father should be responsible for the health and welfare of the mother during pregnancy and then beyond. HA!

And the conservatives all said: well, yeah, obviously. For all kinds of good reasons.

And the Dumb Lefties just stared straight ahead while gnashing their teeth....

Mason G said...

"and they will produce every single item of their lesson plans, classroom decor, class assignments, library books, and on the job emails for public inspection any time we damn well demand it."

Can you imagine someone in the private sector demanding of the people who employ him "No, you can't monitor how I perform my job or read my on the job emails"?

Neither can I.

Mason G said...

"Sure. We actually have open meeting laws in most states. Evil hates the light, to paraphrase Jesus."

If you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to be afraid of.

Drago said...

Dumb Lefty Mark: "Think it should apply to Legislative offices and meeting rooms too. Taxpayers are paying."

Ron Winkleheimer: "You think that people on the right would object to this?!"

It is amusing how moronically ill-informed and ignorant these Dumb Lefties like Mark are of what conservatives actually believe.

Lefty bubbles are impervious to history, logic and reason.

Its reminiscent of the Roe vs Wade aftermath when the Dumb Lefties got angry and came up with what they thought was a big "gotcha!" with the idea that, ok, a woman cant get an abortion?! Fine! Then the father should be responsible for the health and welfare of the mother during pregnancy and then beyond. HA!

And the conservatives all said: well, yeah, obviously. For all kinds of good reasons.

And the Dumb Lefties just stared straight ahead while gnashing their teeth....

fairmarketvalue said...

Mark said: "'Cameras in every classroom, videos uploaded to the internet daily. Taxpayers deserve to be able to see what they're paying for.'

Think it should apply to Legislative offices and meeting rooms too. Taxpayers are paying."

Contrary to what Mark may assume, I don't believe conservatives would have an issue with either proposition.

Leland said...

Unless it is an union of private school teachers, I don’t care what they want.

Todd said...

A) Aren't we always told "if you have nothing to hide, what are you worried about".

B) There is NOTHING to worry about IF they are teaching to the approved curriculum. If parents are shocked and don't like it, that is on the group that approved the curriculum; teachers are required to follow it. On the other hand, if they are NOT then they should be called out.

n.n said...

Cameras in classrooms, conference rooms, and all other public offices, so neither grooming, nor soiling, nor conspiracy may be permitted to progress.

Real American said...

the teachers' unions have run the education system for far too long and they haven't done a good job other than producing ignoramuses, lunatics, and anti-Semites.

They don't want any scrutiny of what they're doing. Here, they're complaining that they got caught vowing to racially discriminate, groom and transition children in secret, and force girls to share bathrooms with boys. Because they keep vowing to do this evil, they need to be monitored. They're worried about saying the wrong thing and ending up on social media. Welcome to the real world! That's everyone.

They feel attacked by politicians! boo fucking hoo! Parents feel attacked by teachers and unions! Children suffer. Keep evil politics out of the schools! If that's too difficult, hit the bricks.

Don't push rainbow ideology and perversion and racism and anti-Americanism in the classroom. Don't give porn to kindergarteners. Don't openly discriminate against people due to race and religion and politics. How hard is it to not do this shit?

In short, teachers need to do the job they were hired to do. TEACH the fucking basics and keep politics out of the classroom.

Oligonicella said...

Still think teaching is a "calling"?

MadisonMan:
The best way to be involved in your kids' education is to volunteer in the classroom. I did that when my kids were in elementary school.

If and only if they allow it. Remember, they didn't even want parents watching in on the Zoom classes.

Oligonicella said...

Mason G:
If you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to be afraid of.

Not really a good argument. It's not that I have anything to hide. It's that I have nothing I want to share.

The Minority Report was predicated on crucifying people for what they thought not what they did. Eternal surveillance is the same thing.

No.

gadfly said...

January 9, 2021: Todd Rokita, Indiana's attorney general-elect, sent out a tweet Friday evening that pledged continuing support to President Donald Trump. It was posted the same day that Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account and two days after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

"I will always be for our President," Rokita tweeted.


Three years later, Rokita just keeps on keeping on. What rights do our teachers have to select children's books for school libraries, when autocrats should be in charge of everything?

Mark said...

"Contrary to what Mark may assume, I don't believe conservatives would have an issue with either proposition."

Then why have they not enacted it?

They had time to enact that for other public servants ... put up or shut up, as they say.

roger said...

I followed the link that NYC JournoList posted above.

I found some exceptionally toxic links and books and opinions over there.

It makes me wonder whether this stuff is commonly found within Public Schools.

Robert Cook said...

"The Teachers Union keeps teachers safe from accountability to the public...."

Just as police unions (and qualified immunity and the
"blue wall of silence") keep the police safe from accountability to the public. Of the two groups, the police have the far greater potential of being a danger to the public, and that potentiality is often realized.

Robert Cook said...


Its reminiscent of the Roe vs Wade aftermath when the Dumb Lefties got angry and came up with what they thought was a big "gotcha!" with the idea that, ok, a woman cant get an abortion?! Fine! Then the father should be responsible for the health and welfare of the mother during pregnancy and then beyond. HA!

"And the conservatives all said: well, yeah, obviously. For all kinds of good reasons."


Well, have the conservatives in those states that have abolished or placed restrictions on legal abortions implemented strict new parental requirements and financial obligations upon the fathers of unplanned babies, along with strict punishments for violating those requirements?

Jim at said...

describing the measure as a 'blatant attack' on educators.

For the love of gawd, get over yourselves.

Original Mike said...

"Of the two groups, the police have the far greater potential of being a danger to the public, "

I disagree, by a country mile. Teachers teach the entire next generation of society.

Robert Cook said...

"'Parents pay the salaries of the teachers, as well as support the entire school system.'

"To be fair, so do non-parents."


That's because it takes a village to raise a child.

The village benefits from having educated children who grow up to be the next generations of educated adults in the village.

Robert Cook said...

"These days public employees make a lot of money as well as benefits."

Hmmm...widely broad, unspecific, and unsourced claims about the salaries of unidentified persons.

"If they don't like it, they can quit."

More and more, they are (due to long hours, stressful work conditions--including student violence--and insufficient compensation).

Original Mike said...

"The village benefits from having educated children who grow up to be the next generations of educated adults in the village."

That's exactly right. As such, we non-parents have just as much interest in not teaching children to be little socialists as do parents. I find it unacceptable that teachers think they are beyond scrutiny.

Drago said...

Robert Cook: "Well, have the conservatives in those states that have abolished or placed restrictions on legal abortions implemented strict new parental requirements and financial obligations upon the fathers of unplanned babies, along with strict punishments for violating those requirements?"

Unfortunately, as we have seen in places like Texas, significant chunks of "republicans" are actually democraticals and work with the labeled democraticals to work against such laws.

So, I guess congratulations are due to you and your lefty pals.

Congrats.

Greg the Class Traitor said...

"Indiana teachers unions are calling for the state attorney general to shut down a new website that invites parents to report 'potentially inappropriate materials' in schools describing the measure as a 'blatant attack' on educators.'

These are teh same people who LOVE when an "educational institution" creates "bias response units", right?

Here, let me make it simple for you:
AS someone hired to each anywhere in grades K - 12, you have NO right to hide ANYTHING that you are doing in your job from the parents of the students stuck with you.

They are NOT "your" students. They are the parents' children, and they are students at the school, but they are NOT "yours".

If you're worried that parents will get upset at what your'e doing in the classroom, that's pretty much proof that what you're doing is wrong, and should be stopped

Greg the Class Traitor said...

Michael Fitzgerald said...
The lights are on and the cockroaches are panicking.

Thread winner

Greg the Class Traitor said...

Robert Cook said...
That's because it takes a village to raise a child.
Only if you're a shitty parent

The village benefits from having educated children who grow up to be the next generations of educated adults in the village.

Which is why only a moron would let leftists control what is taught.

Because as we saw with the debacle of public schools, "teacher's unions", covid, and "remote education", no one on the left gives a shit about actually educating kids, as opposed to stroking the egos of people who have "teaching" positions

H said...

The totality of comments to this reminds me of why I read Althouse. I do regret that there are no intelligent comments from the left on this. Maybe there's no such thing on this subject. But even a comment that starts: "I'm a teacher's union official, and ...."

Original Mike said...

Not A Single Child Tested Proficient In Math In 67 Illinois Schools

This is what we are not to ask questions about. Screw that.

Rusty said...

"That's because it takes a village to raise a child.

The village benefits from having educated children who grow up to be the next generations of educated adults in the village."
First. I can tell you never had children.
Second. Most villages can barely govern themselves and you expect one to raise your child?
Thirdly. You're racist.

Skeptical Voter said...

Hey I thought transparency was a virtue. So why are the teachers complaining?

My two daughters went through the local K-12 public school district--some decades ago when the local schools were functioning properly and test scores were high. These days the test scores at the best of the local schools (there are 35 school campuses and 25,000 FTE students) are just half of what they were--and some are even worse.

But at the time my wife and I were regularly involved in the schools; it was a rare semester when I wasn't down at the local elementary school twice a semester; there were parent's nights--and I saw the same 30 or so parents two or three times a year K-12. The teachers knew the parents were involved; the teachers heard from the parents when the teachers had done a good job--and also heard from the parents when they hadn't done such a good job.

I spent some 32 years as a volunteer civil service commissioner for the local school district. These days I would send my children (if I had school age children or grandchildren) to private schools. I'd avoid the district schools like the plague--and that is sad.

Craig Mc said...

Cockroaches hate the light

Rusty said...

To expand on Cooks outrageous comments. I you want an example of the village raising children just look to the statistics of single parent households. Children need mothers and fathers in the home.

Paul said...

Cockroaches hate the light.