Indiana’s new Eyes On Education portal may be painting targets on the backs of teachers, said one PNW English Education major.

Gabrielle Kniola, a PNW student and mother preparing to become an educator, said she feels the website scapegoats teachers for courses some people find objectionable.

“The teacher in me … thinks about book bans,” she said. “I’m … doing a research project on the negative effects that book banning has in school institutions and how books shouldn’t be banned for everyone.

“If a parent decides that they don’t want their child to read that book for X, Y, Z reasons that is totally up to them,” said Kniola. “But … one shouldn’t ruin it for all.”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita launched an “Eye on Education” portal in February. Parents and others can use the site to report curriculum and examples of teaching methods they dislike or question. The attorney general’s office promises to investigate every complaint.

The portal was launched after Rokita’s office reported that it had heard parents across Indiana express concern that their kids may be being indoctrinated with leftist political ideology.

“Part of the [portal] says our kids need to focus on educational building blocks, not political ideology, either left or right.” said Kniola. “I agree with that strongly.” 

But she said she fears the site may be used as a political weapon since parents are already protected by the state’s Parents Bill of Rights Act, which specifies 17 areas over which parents can exert control over their children’s education. One of the rights specified is that parents must be notified if their child asks to be addressed by a name or use the pronouns of the opposite sex.  

“Parents do have the right to be notified. I found that to be a red flag because we do not know every child’s situation,” said Kniola. “I find that could be problematic for children in households that have abusive parents, whether it be verbal, physical or mental abuse.”

The Eyes On Education website was launched without warning to educators across the state. The portal is vague about defining objectionable content and it does not specify what political ideologies are acceptable.

Kniola believes that teachers are caught in the middle. 

It’s like [the attorney general’s office] wants to keep some [points of view out of the classroom], but they don’t want to keep all out,” she said. “My kids are mandated to take government classes. But … when it comes to government history, we are historically not teaching the whole truth.”