* The rumors started flying early yesterday with panicked, ill-informed Facebook posts like this…
The governor’s office was flooded with calls from people who believed he was about to order schools not to open. The whole idea was ridiculous on its face if you’d taken even a minute to listen to what the governor has been saying. But some parents (who polling shows are in the minority) are truly fired up about this topic and will apparently believe anything.
The rest of the above FB post is cut off, but she also posted the email and phone number of a Pritzker staffer who doesn’t even handle education issues. The Facebook crowd has been bombarding that innocent staffer for days and days on this general topic and the angry emails, even threats, escalated yesterday.
* Even some school superintendents were buying into the rumor. I received several texts from people yesterday myself, including from lobbyists who represent individual school districts.
Here’s an email from a reader last night…
Hey Rich –
I don’t think D25’s drama is something you’d necessarily be interested in writing about, but the updated, late-in-the-day guidance from ISBE referenced in the letter below - that caused D25 to put sharing its school year plans on hold at the last minute - sounds like it could be significant.
My suburban Cook mom group on Facebook is going nuts with rumors. People are posting screenshots of a statement allegedly written on behalf of the State Superintendent to teachers, which states “We are aware of a rumor circulating about the possibility of Governor Pritzker announcing at a press conference tomorrow a return to fully remote learning in the fall. We have confirmed with the Governor’s Office that the rumor is false. At this time there are no changes to the ISBE and IDPH joint transition guidance for the fall.”
As the statement is not on letterhead, doesn’t contain an e-signature, and isn’t on ISBE’s website, everyone thinks it is fake. Additionally, they think it doesn’t jive with what the note below says. Anyway, thought you could be interested.
They won’t believe that, but they’ll believe the rantings of rando locals who claim to have inside knowledge about the governor’s thinking. Ridiculous.
* The local school superintendent’s letter that set so many people off…
This evening, I received some new information related to the 2020-2021 school year. Additionally, we expect that more information may be coming to Superintendents from the State of Illinois very soon. This new information could impact the options for the 2020-2021 school year that we were prepared to share at tonight’s Board of Education meeting.
Therefore, I am removing the agenda item related to our E-learning Plan and the agenda item titled Update on Planning for 2020-2021. We will begin to immediately review the information we received this evening as well as any information we receive from the state. We will announce a special scheduled Board meeting, if necessary, to update the community on our plans for 2020-2021. […]
Thank you for your time,
Lori D. Bein, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Sheesh. Just pick up the phone and call somebody before doing something like that.
People really need to stop believing everything they read on social media. Check the sources before passing along rumors, for crying out loud. Grow the heck up and act like a citizen and not a mushroom.
* Last word goes to the governor’s chief of staff…
- Token Conservative - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:24 am:
==The whole idea was ridiculous on its face if you’d taken even a minute to listen to what the governor has been saying.==
You give people way too much credit.
- Pundent - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:25 am:
Never believe anything that you read on Facebook unless it’s that post that says you can make $2K a week working from your couch or that Disney World is giving away free vacations to the first 50 people that hit “like.” Those are definitely true.
- Bruce( no not him) - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:25 am:
Yeah, but I heard…
- @misterjayem - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:29 am:
Facebook was only ever good for learning about musicians upcoming performances, and right now it isn’t even good for that.
– MrJM
- Former State Worker - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:31 am:
The Karens are running wild with these rumors.
- pool boy - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:34 am:
Shame on the administrator of this Facebook group.
- Left of the Lake - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:34 am:
I am proud to report the High School District in my area of Lake County just decided to do e-learning for the first quarter of this new school year! They had originally planed for a split schedule but upon hearing from community members and teachers decided to post pone in person classes until later in the fall.
- Siualum - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:36 am:
I think we’re giving out way too many doctorates in education.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:37 am:
‘moms groups’ are some of the most toxic groups in existence.
Anyone remember the ‘moms groups’ in the 80s that were trying to convince everyone that playing Dungeons and Dragons was a satanic initiation ritual.
The faces and the year might be different, but the mindset will always be the same.
side note- the general psychological concept of the –moral panic– is pretty interesting to read up on if you aren’t aware of what it is.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:41 am:
===Anyone remember the ‘moms groups’ in the 80s that were trying to convince===
Also Tipper Gore.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:43 am:
They may be misinformed - but they show the political wildfire that an order to enforce
e-learning only would trigger.
- Nick - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:51 am:
I wouldn’t be shocked if ISEA cancels fall sports or something given the outbreaks associated with tournaments.
But given the lengths that they’ve gone through to set up guidelines and even *sue* people over them the idea that Monday he’d just go to some modified phase 3 and cancel all in person learning was laughable.
- OneMan - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:52 am:
When it comes to their kids, most people lose 20 IQ points.
- Notorious RBG - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:53 am:
“… they show the political wildfire that an order to enforce e-learning would only trigger.”
The flip side is the political wildfire that an order to enforce in-person learning will trigger, from the teachers’ unions.
- Huh? - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:55 am:
Isn’t there a saying about lie going around the world before the truth has its shoes on?
Social media just puts misinformation hyperspeed.
Whatever happened to common sense?
I guess with the stress of the pandemic, people will believe anything when the political leaders of the country can’t agree on a common set of facts.
- Maggie - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:58 am:
Some of these social media groups are also claiming that 5G started the coronavirus.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:58 am:
Also Tipper Gore.
“F is for fighting, R is for red Ancestors’ blood in battles they’ve shed
E, we elect them, E, we eject them In the land of the free, and the home of the brave D, for your dying, O, your overture M, they will cover your grave with manure This spells out freedom, it means nothing to me
As long as there’s a PMRC”
- Clare - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 11:59 am:
Now on letterhead. https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Messsage-07162020.pdf
- LakeCo - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:15 pm:
I must have more teachers than moms among my friends because my FB feed is going nuts over the possibility of in-person learning, not online learning.
- Dotnonymous - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:22 pm:
Social media has become corrosive to society.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:23 pm:
==but they show the political wildfire that an order to enforce
e-learning only would trigger.==
Baloney, look at the membership in these groups - it’s the same 20% of people who spread all of these rumors. These are the same people who spread ridiculous Covid rumors, same people who protested in March for reopening everything immediately and who now claim that Covid is a hoax and that vaccines are evil. This is the Chuck Woolery constituency. They represent a small minority of people, but they make enough noise that the media keeps covering them like they represent a large portion of the populace. They’re not representative of anything other than a bunch of astroturfed conservatives looking to pick a fight.
- Lefty Lefty - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:27 pm:
==act like a citizen and not a mushroom==
Truer words never spoken. Gonna use this in my Twitter battles if it’s OK with you, Mr. Miller.
- JS Mill - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:27 pm:
=Anyone remember the ‘moms groups’ in the 80s that were trying to convince everyone that playing Dungeons and Dragons was a satanic initiation ritual.=
it wasn’t? /s
These FB rumors continue to demonstrate the lack of respect people have for others and for professionals trying to do their level best. Sad.
- Dr K - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:34 pm:
I think ISBE’s use of the term “Guidance” for reopening schools is causing all kinds of confusion as every school district attempts to create a back to school plan that complies with both the Guidance, the Governor’s Exec Orders and State and Local law. The Governor allowing some items to be left open to local interpretation while other items need to be strictly followed makes the State’s back to school message vague and difficult for parents, teachers and administrators to uniformly interpret. Hence the confusion and disagreements on what is appropriate. The Gov’s lawsuit against these 3 school districts may help flesh out some of the confusion and provide greater insight for interested parties. Or, it may lead to further questions and litigation. We shall see.
- Lynn S. - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:53 pm:
Siualum,
It’s rather frightening how easy it is to buy an online M.Ed.
And then a goodly number of those possessing online M.Ed.s starting applying for administrative (Dean/assistant principal) jobs.
But 8f you suggest that your district only hire people who got their degrees from universities with actual, real world presence (i.e., a campus, school in existence for more than 20 years), you’re labelled “elitist”.
- Harvest76 - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:53 pm:
Too late, they’ve already been told it’s true by the internet!
- revvedup - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 12:57 pm:
“Stores report rush on tinfoil supplies as Cook suburban moms prepare for whatever they made up.” Full story tonight on Channel 3 Action News”
- Thomas Paine - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 3:40 pm:
Nature abhors a vacuum, and that applies to information.
A lack of public transparency in school district deliberations breeds suspicion.
When you hide what you are doing from the public, school boards, people assume you have something to hide.
And when there is a lack of information, the internet will fill it.
Reopening plans ought to be filed with and approved by ISBE before their adoption, and there ought to be a minimum 7 day period of public comment before a school district vote to approve.
School districts are one of the top things folks look at when buying a home, and now there is a bait-and-switch going on.
- Leigh John-Ella - Friday, Jul 17, 20 @ 4:30 pm:
Bein’s base salary for this school year is $217,407. With a cafeteria plan, vehicle allowance, employer-paid insurance benefits and contribution to the Teachers’ Retirement System, her total compensation is $253,426.
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190821/district-25-superintendent-gets-one-year-contract-extension