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].
I am a retired teacher and unequivocally proclaim that there is no hope for America as long as Christians and conservatives allow our children to be indoctrinated in the pagan (a.k.a. “public”) schools. We must rescue our children! See specifics at http://www.insectman.us/exodus-mandate-wv/index.htm. I am not raising funds. My goal is to rescue children.
Rescue the children from whom? Their parents ?
The audacity that anyone knows better how to educate or raise their children or what values to instill other than parents is beyond incredible. Teacher teach your own and keep your indoctrinatating theories and beliefs to your self . For the love of humanity . Talk about over reach! God helps us all
If any student is able to state what beliefs their teacher has, that teacher is worthless.
Free Public Schools for all children is the 10th plank of the Communist Manifesto.
You reap what you sow!
what on earth is going on in the mind of educators / administrators that thought this type of orwellian mind control would be a good idea. TN is a proud Red State, this type of stuff is straight out of California or NY. Fire the people that came up with these ideas!
If ever there was a warning sign that you SHOULD monitor the classes and be directly informed of what the teachers are trying to indoctrinate into your kids’ minds, this is it.
Do not let teachers indoctrinate your children. This is how you destroy a good mind with communistic teachings.
don’t want you to hear their liberal indoctrination, TN can do better, get rid of the people that came up with this nonsense
They can request, but they cannot mandate. This really does violate the Constitution. If privacy is important to these educators, then there privacy of the home should be sacred, not the privacy of the public sector or the public school.
Look. I’m a teacher. Teachers who think that classroom discussions bring out reality from their students are deceived. The intimidation of the student body is far more important to students than is the intimidation of their parents. A teacher may feel that she is a trusted medium of truthful discussion is being self-important.
Students control what other students say in the classroom with the social manipulative available to them outside of the classroom. Bullies shout down the opinions of others and have retaliatory methods if the teacher opens the opportunity for quiet ones to state their opinions anyway. Many of these students have years of baggage dealing with these blowhards and influencers. One classroom discussion led by a caring adult does not negate this practice.
We teachers need to do our jobs and teach, not counsel or act as priests of the progressive, new social order.
If a teacher recognizes, in private conversation, that a student is struggling with an issue, then the teacher can direct the student to the appropriate help.
If, on the other hand, a teacher wants to bring up a sensitive issue for discussion, that teacher needs to know how to do so in a public forum in an appropriately public manner.
Oh hail no!!! Ima keep an eye on my kid to make sure he’s on track and physically redirect him if necessary. In the classroom the teacher can do this. With distance learning (s)he is powerless to stop aimless doodling, napping at the desk, or other self-distraction behaviors. I’m my home it is my responsibility to keep my kid on task, meaning I’m going to monitor him. Admin doesn’t like it? Too bad!
Or maybe the teacher (and school board) don’t want the parents to be aware the children are being indoctrinated with leftist, anti-American propaganda instead be taught the subjects the teacher is paid to teach
Someone should organize a parent’s union and use it to control curriculum to the extent that parents can see what their children are being taught.
Now that’s a Union I could support! Great suggestion- fighting fire with fire!
You’ve made some excellent points here, but the bottom line is it’s not the responsibility of the state to educate children. This is the responsibility of the parents! The Socialistic/Communistic/Authoritarian public school system is anathema to any American concept of Liberty. Children are forced, under penalty of prison for their parents and foster care for themselves, to attend classes with underachievers and violent bullies where they’re taught to obey those bigger and more powerful than themselves, then thrust into adulthood unprepared. Public schools in America should be abolished.
Just another way to cover for bad teachers. Exactly what teachers unions have been doing for years
Here’s what my take would be: if my child is using the computer I paid for, the wireless I paid for, and being taught by teachers my taxes pay for in the house I pay for, then I have every right to monitor what I want. How about that?
Parents have the God-given right and responsibility to be the primary educators of their children. The parents have, in effect, hired the schools and teachers to teach their children. So, it is the parents who should be setting the terms and conditions of the education of their children, not the other way around. Parents should require the teachers to sign forms that state the teachers will welcome the parental involvement and monitoring of classroom activities, virtual or real. Sometimes, evening Tennessee folks get the cart before the horse.
Exactly!!
If Class is online then parents should have the right to put their kids in whatever class the deem fit. Parents should receive a voucher so that they can fund the schools of their choice. Though the powers that be want to think that they they are overseers of all impressionable minds, they are Not. NOT YOUR BODY, NOT YOUR CHOICE.
How about we all get to keep our money, and parents raise their children themselves, and the public school employees can go find another job?
I know that this is nuts but it seems like a lot of commenters are also glossing over them saying that THEY WANT TO SEND PEOPLE TO DO A “WELLNESS CHECK” ON THE STUDENTS IN THEIR OWN HOMES. That is even more alarming! It’s lunacy. They don’t want you to listen in on what they’re teaching your children and want to come into YOUR home. School systems are pushing to have control of children. I didn’t used to believe it when people said schools were trying to indoctrinate students but as time goes on, I’m seeing the truth in that more and more. They have no rights to people’s children. NONE. Their job is to teach them the subjects they’re paid to teach and THATS THAT.
My eyes opened a lot this year. I withdrew my kids from public school and am now homeschooling. It’s kicking my but physically since I also work full time, but worth it.
The communist state now being brought into full swing “For the Greater good”… Wake up America…
WAKE TF UP!
If the information is confidential it should not be shared with other students. This needs to be investigated.
People who have nothing to hide, don’t hide. These parents had better get their kids away from these unfit adults.
I dont want my child observed by other adults in the homes of other students. I certainly don’t want another student’s parent to secretly record my child as he appears on the screen. So, I have decided to homeschool this year. I dont for one second believe that signing waivers is really going to prevent invasion of privacy. Relying on the honor system is naive.
Parents with these concerns who cannot homeschool should ask for real privacy measures, like allowing students to turn off or cover their camera when they are called on to speak. Tell students to turn off their microphone when they are not speaking. The district could provide lightweight folding screens so the inside of the home is not on camera.
I suspect this is not about student privacy at all, but about teacher privacy. They dont want parents to see how bad public education is.
My children are both grown and gone, I understand your concerns with other parents … especially having the ability to record (what happens when someone decides to manipulate the video?), and 100 percent agree this is about teachers and not the students. I am old enough to remember teachers asking parents to observe classes.
Agree with you
The government run teachers union don’t want parents to know what they are teaching our children , That’s the reason . Look at America today and all that is happening , young people hating America , they did not learn this at home ( maybe some homes )
Parents start home schooling . Maybe learn to not have two incomes , you won’t have as much material items but your children will certainly be better citizens
Than a lot of what we have today .
Yep! For THIS very reason, ALL parents should DEFINITELY observe every class from now on. This should raise all of the red flags and set off alarm bells for every parent. Record it too. If you don’t share it and only use it as a tool to review with your child any homework or classwork, it should be fine.
Send me a form like that, it will come back with GFY! written across it. and you come to my HOME demanding to inspect to ensure *I* am properly caring for MY child and I’ll have you arrested for trespass.