Johnson County schools express concerns; Rokita not backing down on dashboard

By Noah Crenshaw, Waylon O’Donnell & Jayden Kennett | Daily Journal

A new online portal launched by the Indiana Attorney General’s Office allows the public to submit and view “potentially inappropriate” materials they find in Indiana schools.

However, nearly all of the school districts listed already listen on the platform — including three from Johnson County — say they were not told of the portal or its materials before launch. Officials at Center Grove, Clark-Pleasant and Franklin schools also said the information posted was outdated and/or inaccurate.

“It is disappointing that the Attorney General would take screenshots of social media comments and other claims made without context and publish them without additional research or verification,” said Stacy Conrad, a Center Grove schools spokesperson.

‘Eyes on Education’

The “Eyes on Education” portal was announced by Attorney General Todd Rokita in a press release Tuesday. It allows anyone to submit “potentially inappropriate” materials they find in Indiana schools, with submitters giving their name and contact information, as well as the school name and any associated documents.

Described by the attorney general’s office as a “transparency portal,” Rokita said in the news release that it is a platform for students and parents to “submit and view real examples of socialist indoctrination from classrooms across the state.”

“As I travel the state, I regularly hear from students, parents and teachers about destructive curricula, policies or programs in our schools,” Rokita said. “Our kids need to focus on fundamental educational building blocks, not ideology that divides kids from their parents and normal society.”

He also alleged that the media and schools were continuing to deny that this “indoctrination is happening here in Indiana.”

Once submitted via the website, the materials are reviewed before being published online for anyone to view. Submissions could involve materials at K-12 schools, colleges, universities or other affiliated academic entities, according to a news release.

His office would follow up and investigate any material submitted to see if it violates Indiana law. Any investigatory findings could be published on the portal as well, according to the news release.

At launch, the portal included submissions from 13 Indiana schools and the Indiana University School of Medicine. Submissions included links to photos, screenshots and presentation materials. In some cases, it also included the addresses, phone numbers, social media profiles and emails of people identified in the materials.

The Indiana Department of Education, which is tasked with overseeing school corporations, was not informed of the portal before it launched, according to reports from Indianapolis-area news outlets.

Most of the posted materials discuss objections to school reading materials, LGBT resources and policies, the Black Lives Matter movement and school diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Many of the materials posted are also undated, while others appear to be from around 2020 to 2021. This coincided with a peak in concerns about the teaching of race in K-12 schools — including Johnson County.

These concerns focused on critical race theory, which originated in legal scholarship and spread to other fields of study, and transformative social-emotional learning. CRT discusses the role race and institutionalized racism play in putting minority group members at a disadvantage in society, according to the American Bar Association. Meanwhile, SEL includes components of equity and social justice, according to CASEL, the organization that promotes it.

In August 2021, several area school districts said they were not teaching CRT and that their curricula didn’t include it. However, parents did express concern about the concept at school board meetings.

A spokesperson for the Indiana Attorney General’s Office did not directly answer a question from the Daily Journal about whether or not anyone from the office tried to contact schools before the portal’s launch. However, the spokesperson did say that a “vast majority” of the materials submitted so far came directly from teachers and were “easily verified.”

“We will verify all materials that are sent in to make sure accurate information is always placed on the portal,” the spokesperson said Wednesday.

Other submissions came from parents and students. The submitters were all verified to have worked for or attended the school district the submissions are about, the spokesperson said.

Local schools

Clark-Pleasant Community School Corp. is listed on the portal for a gender support policy, while submissions on Center Grove Community School Corp. and Franklin Community School Corp. rehash old concerns over alleged teaching of critical race theory on the portal. The document uploaded for Franklin also references the 2020 election, Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ resources.

The gender support policy at Clark-Pleasant discusses privacy, confidentiality, dress codes and more for transgender students. The policy was rescinded in October, and there are no similar policies currently in effect, said Rick Hightower, Clark-Pleasant spokesperson.

Clark-Pleasant Superintendent Tim Edsell informed Rokita’s office that the policy was outdated and inaccurate in an email, saying “the respective board policy is outdated, retired and no longer exists here at CPCSC!”

“I am disappointed in the release of this incorrect information and the fact that no one from the Attorney General’s office reached out to me to verify this information,” Edsell said.

Rokita’s office initially told Clark-Pleasant the policy would be taken off the website. But now the office says the policy is saying up as it was in effect for nearly two years. The webpage now notes the policy was retired in 2023 and includes the documented votes to retire the policy. The office communicated this with Edsell, a spokesperson for Rokita said.

“We are appreciative that the Attorney General’s office has corrected the outdated information on the ‘Eyes on Education’ portal, by adding the document we sent them verifying the outdated policy was retired by our school board in October 2023,” Edsell said in a Wednesday statement.

Center Grove was submitted to the portal for “evidence of racism found in the curriculum” from 2021. The curriculum in question included questions from a U.S. History course that asked about the Black Panther Party, the book “Ghost Boys” and screenshots of social media posts from presumed parents.

An anonymous email from a parent was included. It states that their child was required to read the book “Ghost Boys,” a book following a Black 12-year-old who was shot and killed by police and now wanders the earth with other “ghost boys.”

The document also highlighted a Panorama survey, which gauges students’ social-emotional learning. Arrows in the document pointed to free-response questions asking students what they wish teachers knew about racial experiences at school and what the most important thing the school can do to support students of different races, ethnicities and cultures. The submission states that parents can opt out of the survey.

The claims made in the document were shared with district officials three years ago and were addressed appropriately at the time, said Stacy Conrad, Center Grove spokesperson. Daily Journal reporting from August 2021 shows that then-Superintendent Rich Arkanoff pledged to avoid critical race theory in classroom curricula during a school board meeting.

Parents who have questions or concerns are “always encouraged to contact their building principal directly,” she said.

As for Franklin schools, submitted documentation depicted several remarks regarding the Black Lives Matter movement from Superintendent David Clendening dating back to the summer of 2020. Screenshots from video updates and transcripts show him addressing inclusion in the schools.

Social media posts from former school board member Ryan Waggoner’s personal Facebook page were included that showed his support for Joe Biden and Black voters. He has not held a seat on the school board since 2022.

Documents also claim a school board member, although it is unclear who, told a parent that “if people don’t like what’s going on in Franklin, they can take their kids to Center Grove.”

Snapshots of several diversity and inclusion resources addressing “white privilege” and social justice issues including links to several children’s books, podcasts and social media pages were also submitted. Social media reposts mentioning Fred Hampton, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd from a Franklin Community High School teacher were also present.

The document references in detail resources for LGBTQIA+ and racial justice that were formerly posted to a part of the school’s website called FCS Connect, however, this has been long-deleted. These resources were there for people who may need them but were not part of the curriculum.

The document on Franklin Schools features “outdated or misrepresented information,” said Robin Betts, spokesperson. Any unapproved resources that were linked on the district website were immediately removed by school administrators at the time, she said.

The district only uses state-approved standards in their classrooms and nothing in the document was taught as part of their curriculum, Betts said.

“Franklin Community Schools welcomes transparency and encourages community members and families to reach out any time if they have a question or concern,” she said.

Differing viewpoints

At least two organizations have voiced concerns about the dashboard.

In a statement released Wednesday, Indiana State Teachers Association President President Keith Gambill said the portal was “nothing but a transparent attempt to create division among parents and educators.” He called for it to be taken down immediately.

The Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union described the portal as an effort “an effort to intimidate teachers” from discussing issues of racial equity and LGBTQIA+ topics, the organization said in a Tuesday post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Classroom inclusivity benefits everyone. Classroom censorship does nothing but harm,” the post said.

Over the last few years, Rokita’s office said he has sought to prioritize “empowering” Indiana parents.

These efforts include establishing a “Parent’s Bill of Rights,” which details what Indiana law says about the information parents have the right to access regarding their children’s education. They also include helping stop federal investigation of parents deemed “excessively” vocal at school board meetings and other venues, according to the news release.

The Eyes on Education portal continues the mission of empowering parents, his office says.

“We not only want to help empower parents, we also want to help empower excellent educators,” Rokita said in the news release. “In some cases, district bureaucrats suppress the conscientious efforts of caring and well-qualified teachers. Our portal is a place where educators, too, can submit examples of materials they find objectionable.”

As for whether there are any concerns about inaccurate information being submitted as it is a public form, the spokesperson for Rokita’s office said they will use the “necessary tools” to vet the information coming in. The office will only put content on the portal they can 100% verify, according to the spokesperson.

Rokita’s office plans to continue to use the portal going forward despite the pushback from schools, the spokesperson said.

“This is only the beginning,” the spokesperson said. “At first people said this indoctrination isn’t happening in Indiana. Then parents and teachers pushed back. Now, they say this isn’t happening anymore. Transparency is key.”

Noah Crenshaw is the Daily Journal’s news editor, and can be reached at [email protected].

Waylon O’Donnell is a news reporter for the Daily Journal, and can be reached at [email protected]

Jayden Kennett is a news reporter for the Daily Journal, and can be reached at [email protected].