By Claire Lindemyer
A group of former and current students of Lawrence high school added several claims to the federal civil rights lawsuit against the Lawrence school district over its use of AI monitoring software in the district.
Per the most recent Gaggle update, the district recently made an undisclosed switch from the Gaggle software to a new monitoring platform, Managed Methods.
The unannounced change left students and staff with many questions about the new software.
Student journalists involved in the lawsuit reached out to the district for a multitude of related records under the Kansas Open Records Act back in October regarding the transition to Managed Methods. District officials acknowledged receiving the requests but failed to respond within 3 business days or provide any reason for why they couldn’t respond, thereby violating the act.
Plaintiffs argue in the filing that the district intentionally withheld information about the switch to Managed Methods.
Lawrence Times journalists also filed a similar open records request on Oct. 29. According to district spokesperson Jake Potter in an article by the Lawrence Times, the request is still pending review.
The most recent claims added by the students also included Lawrence High principal Dr. Quentin Rials, who was added as a defendant.
At the beginning of the school year, Rials issued a directive forbidding student journalists from reporting on the Gaggle lawsuit, which the plaintiffs argue is an unlawful violation of the Kansas Student Publications Act.
The district’s lawyer later lifted the publication ban, but the pressure and threats continued towards the student journalist, according to the Lawrence Times article.
According to the Lawrence Times, the filing also alleges that hours after the district confirmed that student reporting would be allowed, the student journalist was later warned by a teacher that their adviser could face adverse employment actions if the story was published, suggesting that the teacher acted on behalf of the district.
The list of defendants now includes the Lawrence School Board, Lawrence Public Schools, Rials, and Assistant Principal Greg Farley.
The recent filing also included that the district told a USD497 parent that opting out of the monitoring system would not be allowed.
This school year, a Free State High School parent attempted to opt his son out of Gaggle monitoring, but principal Amy Mcanarney stated that she didn’t have authority to do so and referred the parent to district officials. In response, Deputy Superintendent Larry Englebrick and then-School Board President Kelly Jones said that opting out is not permitted.
According to the lawsuit, the district’s actions were contrary to representations made to students and parents–that opt-outs would be allowed upon request.
The Budget will continue reporting based on public records and what happens in court.
