Parents of students who attend Rutherford County Schools (RCS) must agree not to monitor their child’s online classroom sessions.
Officials at all county schools are asking parents to sign forms agreeing not to watch these virtual classes.
The Tennessee Star received a copy of such a form this week.
“RCS 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,” according to the form.
“RCS strongly discourages non student observation of online meetings due to the potential of confidential information about a student being revealed.”
The form asks parents for their signature and warns that “violation of this agreement may result in RCS removing my child from the virtual meeting.”
RCS spokesman James Evans addressed the matter in an email to The Star this week.
“We are aware of the concern that has been raised about this distance-learning letter that was sent to parents. The intent was not to prevent parents from being involved with their children during distance learning, but it was intended to protect the academic privacy of other students in the classroom who are visible during certain virtual class sessions,” Evans said.
“We have issued new guidance to principals 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.”
Evans did not elaborate.
As reported Friday, 50 miles away, Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles said “NO!!!” to Gov. Bill Lee’s Big Brother-style child wellbeing program that plans to send government officials to families’ homes to do welfare checks of children.
The Tennessee Department of Education says it released a toolkit on child wellbeing checks to ensure the needs of children are being met during and after extended periods away from school. It is promoted as protecting children.
The department earmarked $1 million in COVID-19 funds to set up regional overseers to work with districts, which are encouraged to apply. A grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will give funding for eight regional staff members to work across the state.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
So the Rutherford County School Board doesn’t want parents to watch their children’s indoctrination, uh, “education”. One wonders why.
Parents 20 years ago I took my children out of public schools when they put police in the schools. I felt the needed to be children before worrying about issues like what was happening. I now have 2 children and I am homeschooling again. It is ultimately a parents job and rigjt to teach and know what is being taught to your child.
At no time does the government have the right to tell you what can and cant be done with your child. It is your right do not be a sheep and follow question anything ur gut says is wrong. All 7 who homeschooled 20 years ago own their own businesses and are all successful and no issues from being at home learning…
If school – and by extension, government – officials want parents and voters to sign forms “to protect the privacy of students”, maybe we should ask “Why then are students not taught individually, because in a PUBLIC classroom setting, the other students will see and hear those violations of privacy?”
We should also demand the same types of contractual agreements from school teachers, administrators, and politicians – across the board – so that we the parents and voters can ensure that they will/are not violating our privacy and the privacy of our children. That contract between adults needs to include legal, financial, personal penalties for those appointed and elected bureaucrats of all stripes who violate privacy laws, and federal code which specifically protects the Rights of Citizens.
This is one of many instances I’ve been seeing recently of “educators” expressing apprehension at the thought of parents seeing what’s being taught. If you are teaching something to my child that you know I would not approve, and try to keep me away while you do it, then you are grooming, not teaching.
We are very happy with our decision to homeschool
I thought they retracted the “well-being” tool kit. Is the end of this article a way of letting us know that it’s still in effect?
Seems to me like they don’t want the parents knowing what they’re teaching. You can go to a school and you can sit in on class if you want to. They need to remember these are public schools paid by parents tax money. You don’t have to look over their shoulder but if I wanted to hear what is going on I will hear it. Maybe the parents ought to start going and sitting in on a few classes when they start back to real school.
The parents have a right to know what’s being shoveled into their children’s minds under the guise of “education”.
The teachers need to study their grammar.
It should be ” greatest extent possible; however, because…”
I would also be ashamed to be monitored considering the quality and accuracy of what is being taught in public schools.
That would be a “lack of accuracy and quality” which there is a definite lack there of!
Rutherford Co Schools if there is a better explanation, it needs to be given.
Talking about shooting yourself in the foot. A true sign someone is getting to big for their britches, what about it school board!
There is no way in hades i would ever agree to this. That’s like signing a blank check and handing it to a stranger. Any parent who agrees to such has abdicated the right to be a parent.
Distant learning is an extension of the classroom and parents are not in the classroom during traditional learning. Allow the teachers to teach without distractions.
My child has mentioned he needs to pay attention to the class and he doesn’t want me looking over his shoulder. Stay out of the classroom!
In traditional learning my living room is not the classroom. I’m going to hear anything that is said, it is impossible not to. That does not mean I will be distracting my child. It means my house is small enough you can hear the computer anywhere in the house.
So would you also suggest that parents not ask their kids what they’re being taught?
Do you review your child’s’ homework assignments?
Do you care what kids are being taught?
No, this sounds an awful lot like “What are they hiding?” This sounds like that Philly teacher worried that “conservative parents” will overhear what he’s teaching.
Kelly, are you really that indoctrinated yourself not to see what is actually going on within these school districts? Kids are NOT being taught the truth about anything. You as a parent, have no business being a parent, if that is your belief. By allowing this, you are also allowing you kids to be brainwashed and not educated. Another point is that, you are the child’s parent, not their friend. Be a real parent and take the initiative to find out what your kids are being taught in school. You might just find out that you’re not a smart as you thought and realize that kids are actually being indoctrinated against you.
And when you find out – after it’s too late – that your child has been indoctrinated to hate your country, your faith, and your morals, remember that you had the chance to prevent it but you wouldn’t do it. Because that will be the truth.
Seems Andy Ogles is the only Mayor who isn’t under the spell of Lee and his Orwellian mandates. Maury County feels like the only safe place for now
Orwellian insanity! Pull your child from public schools and form local homeschooling groups. This is totally outrageous!
Sort of makes you wonder what’s going on that the school administrators don’t want parents to know about…we don’t have any such restrictions where I live — or anywhere else, as far as I can tell — and I can only imagine what would happen if anyone tried to implement such a policy here.
They don’t want parents aware of the one-sided, leftist viewpoints that are being taught to their children. It has nothing to do with the other kids attending the virtual classroom. So basically if you don’t follow what is in the form you signed and tried to make a complaint later you are in violation.