Editor, Times-Union:

In the eyes of extremist know-it-alls in the Indiana statehouse (as well as in too many other state houses around the country), teachers are being accused of grooming, indoctrinating and brainwashing students. Their years of college training and subsequent classroom teaching experience mean nothing to state lawmakers who have deliberately and wrongfully convinced parents that evil, sinful practices are hurting their children’s feelings and turning them into —wait for it - liberal sympathizers.

Teachers have been berated on one hand for not teaching the “basics,” for not individualizing their methods enough, and for not reporting enough to every parent the progress -only positive progress - of their kids. On the other hand, they are now expected to make sure every child is fed, clothed, equipped with essential supplies, and taught what to do in cases of bullying, fire, tornado, and oh, yes, school shootings. They are also expected and obligated to recognize signs of abuse and to report such abuse.

And now - in their “infinite wisdom” and, in my opinion, cowardice and insanity - Indiana lawmakers are seeing fit to provide gun use training to teachers so they can perhaps take down any gun-toting intruder in the classroom. By the way, teachers would first have to identify the threat, guide their students to a safe place, retrieve their weapon and load it (assuming they are not carrying said weapon in a holster), and then be prepared to “shoot to kill” the identified intruder who just might be armed with an automatic weapon or two. Yeah, that ought to work. What could possibly go wrong? Lawmakers would be off the hook, and once again the job of protecting children is delegated to teachers.

Gee, there is money aplenty to train the teachers, but none to set up programs to avoid such scenarios? Would it be easier and more cost effective to make assault weapons illegal? To not allow anyone under 21 or even 25 to be able to purchase any weapons? To help establish federal red flag laws? To require training and permits before a gun is purchased …. wherever it is purchased? Maybe even to better train teachers to identify and report observable mental health problems their students might display and then establish real, helpful solutions for those problems. Nah, that would require more committees, more thought and more responsibility. And, let’s face it, there are so many more lies to fabricate, so many more pointless investigations to set in motion. Who has time for simple, common sense solutions? It’s madness to even suggest it.

After all, the almighty power of our legislators could be diminished if they made it look simple.

Jeanne Schutz

Winona Lake, via email