A school board president in Arizona is facing allegations of 'spying' on parents who opposed Critical Race Theory and mask mandates. Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board President Jann-Michael Greenburg allegedly maintained a secret report online containing personal details of the parents. Greenburg's 'secret documents' were revealed after he accidentally sent the link in a screenshot to a parent in an email chain.
The Google drive is said to contain a database of files labeled 'SUSD Wackos' and 'Anti Mask Lunatics' tracking the online activities of the parents in the district. The files contained Social Security numbers, financial information, and even divorce records of parents. The drive, after being made public, set off demands of Greenburg's resignation, according to AZ Free News.
However, the school board denied Greenburg's involvement in the matter and blamed his father for the secret folder, who shares a home and a computer with his son. The school board also promised an investigation by 'forensic IT staff'.
The drive contained folders named 'Press Conference Psychos' and 'Anti Mask Lunatics'
The secret dossier first came into notice in August when Greenburg accusing a parent, Kim Stafford of anti-Jewish sentiment, sent her a screenshot of a Facebook conversation. Stafford, in a reply, denied Greenburg's accusation citing that he had misinterpreted her post accusing someone else of anti-Islamic sentiment. She, however, noticed a Google drive address displayed at the top of the screenshot, which, when she entered in her browser, found publicly accessible.
According to DailyMail, the drive had folders with names such as 'SUSD Wackos,' 'Press Conference Psychos' and 'Anti Mask Lunatics.' It also contained a collection of hundreds of screenshots of Facebook posts and conversations in Facebook groups about the Scottsdale school system. The screenshots were intended to track the political sentiments of various parents. Some of the files even contained memes mocking certain parents, PTA leaders, and local elected officials. The drive has since been made private.
Bodycam videos
The drive also contained a background report, which appeared to have been made by a private investigator. It included the financial and criminal records of parents. The files also included bodycam videos, which seemed to have been made by Greenburg's father, Mark, while riding his motorcycle. One of such videos showed him talking with some parents in the parking lot of a school. "Somewhere around here, we have a private investigator, who's writing down all their plates," Mark was heard saying. "That you've hired?" asked one of the moms. "Yeah, I did. Yeah. I had our law firm do it so that it's protected. So that we can get the information," he added.
The school board president Jann-Michael Greenburg denied involvement
"I categorically deny having anything to do with any of this," Jann-Michael Greenburg retorted during a phone interview with Independent Newsmedia. "We are going to have forensic IT staff look into this and figure out what that is. You can file with law enforcement, I am not sure even why we are looking at these photos." On being asked if his father accessed the drive, Greenburg snapped that he's not his "father's keeper." Greenburg, who is planning to run for reelection in November 2022, is already facing demands for his immediate resignation.
