Recently, Liberty Nation reported on a teacher who tweeted out his concerns about parents and others in the household being able to listen in to and see what's happening in the virtual classroom. The instructor feared this would inhibit productive conversations concerning race, gender, and sexuality. Now, Tennessee has taken it a step further and has demanded parents sign a form promising they will not eavesdrop on their children's studies.
When someone tries to point out that schools are indoctrinating children into socialism and the left's progressive views, they are called out for trying to spread conspiracy theories. Yet, this latest move appears to confirm the fears: Parents, you have no right to know what the teachers are teaching and furthermore, you are not allowed even to observe. The reason given? Confidentiality. Yes, that's the excuse they are using for objecting to parents witnessing any lessons. The following is part of the waiver parents were asked to sign, provided by The Tennessee Star:
"RCS [Rutherford County Schools] strives to present these opportunities in a secure format that protects student privacy to the greatest extent possible, however because these meetings will occur virtually RCS is limited in its ability to fully control certain factors such as non-student observers that may be present in the home of a student participating in the virtual meeting. RCS strongly discourages non student observation of online meetings due to the potential of confidential information about a student being revealed."
Teaching Propaganda to Kids
What in the world is so confidential that parents cannot be allowed to see or hear? What happened to the good old days when teachers were begging parents to become more involved, volunteer as a homeroom parent, and to sit and observe a class at any time? Laurie Cardoza-Moore, founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations and mother of five homeschooling her children, said during an interview with Fox & Friends Weekend that it absolutely is indoctrination. "It's ridiculous. It is so hypocritical because they've been data mining our children for years, compliments of common core," she said, continuing: "Obviously, because they are teaching our children propaganda that they should not be teaching. They are trying to socialize our children. We have had a major problem in education, not just here in Tennessee, but across the country where they are indoctrinating our children with propaganda."
The mom also stressed concern over what kind of penalties would be levied on parents who refused to obey the demand. Would they "knock on my door and pull my kid out of my home, his virtual classroom?" While that may seem extreme, the craziness of the world currently would suggest that it might not be too much of a stretch.
After taking a lot of heat from parents outraged at such draconian tactics, the school board sent a statement to Fox News. "We are aware of the concern that has been raised about this distance-learning letter that was sent to parents," the communications director for Rutherford County Schools, James Evans replied. He then added:
"We have issued new guidance to principles that parents can assist their children during virtual group lessons with permission of the instructor but should refrain from sharing or recording any information about other students in the classroom."
A commenter on a story by Yahoo News makes an excellent point: "The simple fact they have requested this, makes mandatory recording/review a safety requirement. When you don't want people to observe you working, then it's obvious you are one of the ones we need to watch."
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Read more by Kelli Ballard.
