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School districts are asking parents to sign a form agreeing not to monitor virtual classrooms. And why? So “non-student observers” cannot hear confidential information.
A Philadelphia public school teacher posted worries about how educators can cope with “conservative parents” listening in during virtual classes.
Matthew Kay, who teaches at the Science leadership Academy, is concerned about the “damage” parents might cause if they overhear certain topics involving gender and sexuality.
“So, this fall, virtual class discussion will have many potential spectators — parents, siblings, etc. — in the same room. We’ll never be quite sure who is overhearing the discourse. What does this do for our equity/inclusion work?” tweeted Kay.
“How much have students depended on the (somewhat) secure barriers of our physical classrooms to encourage vulnerability? How many of us have installed some version of ‘what happens here stays here’ to help this?”
However, Kay said “damage can come from the left too,” but “conservative parents” are his chief concern. Especially when teachers are engaging “in the messy work of destabilizing a kid’s racism or homophobia or transphobia.”
Since posting his comments on Twitter, Kay has switched his account to private, Fox reported.
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A Tennessee school district is asking parents to sign a waiver. They must agree to not monitor virtual school lessons for their children. A copy of the form was sent to the Tennessee Star, which reads:
“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.”
The agreement strongly discourages “Non-student observation of online meetings due to the potential of confidential information about a student being revealed.”
It doesn’t specifically say that parents cannot be present during virtual instruction, but it does say that a “violation of this agreement may result in RCS removing my child from the virtual meeting.”
As a result of the backlash, the school is now instructing parents not to record the lessons. Parents can assist children, but cannot share or record information. But will they listen?
“We have issued new guidance to principals that parents can assist their children during virtual group lessons with permission of the instructor. But [they] should restrain from sharing or recording any information about other students in the classroom,” said a school spokesperson.
However, there are bigger concerns for many parents at this time. For example, some can’t even access online learning. Others are resorting to mobile phone prepaid accounts to access internet hot spots. Some students still have no access at all.
As a result, schools are offering WiFi from parking lots and school buses parked near residential areas. Hopefully it will be enough.
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