Michigan School District Spied On Parents’ Facebook Groups, Reported Them To Their Employers, Lawsuit Alleges

The superintendent of a school district in Michigan monitored the social media posts of parents who criticized the district’s COVID-19 policy, then reported those parents to their employers, and in at least one case, the police, according to a lawsuit filed by a parent in the district.

The Detroit News first reported Tuesday that Robert Shaner, the superintendent of Rochester Community Schools, made the calls to police because he was “concerned and scared” about the “aggressive” social media posts from parents, some of which suggested staging protests outside school board members’ homes, and an email he allegedly received from another parent that stated that the parent was going to “wreak havoc.” Shaner made the comments as part of a deposition made on February 3 in connection with the lawsuit.

The suit, originally filed in May 2021, but amended earlier this month, was brought by Elena Dinverno, a parent of two children at Rochester Community Schools. The suit alleges that Shaner and another high-ranking member of the school board contacted Dinverno’s employer and falsely claimed that she had made threats against the board, which resulted in her being fired from her job.

According to the suit, the Facebook groups, “RCS Parents for In-Person Education” and “Conservative Parents
for Rochester,” rose up in response to the closure of schools and the shift to remote learning in April 2020, after Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order closing the schools for the rest of the school year. Dinverno, who described herself as a “vocal and effective advocate” for re-opening schools, was contacted by the school board, who told her she was “participating in a group engaged in launching threats against the school district.” A school board member then allegedly contacted her employer. Dinverno defended herself to the company, telling them she had not made any threats and was only a strong advocate for her position. She complained to the board directly, and then to Shaner, but Shaner said he could do nothing and complained to her about the alleged conduct of the Facebook groups. Dinverno was then fired from her job.- READ MORE