Imagine being spied on for wanting your child’s school to reopen —crazy, right? Turns out, that’s exactly what one teacher’s union in California did to parents who were members of school “reopen” groups during COVID closures in April 2021, according to a new Daily Caller report.
Ann Swinburn, a strategic research specialist with the California Teachers Association, tried to gather dirt on parents and enlist informants in her efforts to undermine attempts to reopen San Diego-area schools. Swinburn’s plans were made clear in emails to two school parents.
…Lawyer Michele Macosky and data scientist Adam Fischer.
“I am a researcher with [the California Teachers Association] and am currently doing some research into the various ‘reopen’ groups around the state,” Swinburn said in an email to Macosky and Fischer.
According to The Daily Caller, “The duo responded by looping in a third parent, Holly Butte, stating they intended to uncover the ‘ideological leaning of groups that are funding the reopen lawsuits.’ Swinburn and her allies appeared to target the group ‘The Parent Association,’ according to the subject line of their emails.”
Swinburn’s shady efforts took place after parents organized to reopen schools; Allison Stratton, co-founder of The Parent Association, and Jonathan Zachreson, founder of group “Reopen California Schools,” were a part of those efforts.
“To suggest us parents were part of some dark money conspiracy is not only absurd and insulting, but shows how far removed the California Teachers Association’s priorities are from serving students and their families,” Zachreson said.
Stratton, a Democrat, told the Daily Caller there was “absolutely no special interest money” financing the parent-driven campaign to reopen schools.
Swinburn couldn’t believe that parents may just —gasp —want their children to be in school. She insisted dark money was involved.
“This is an all-to-common [sic] model – where parents who genuinely want to make systemic change for their kids are used toward a larger goal to disrupt, destabilize, and ‘burn down’ public schools (also see reopen parents),” Swinburn tweeted.
According to the Daily Caller, In another instance, Swinburn added the “100%” emoji to a tweet arguing that right-wing money is fueling a surge in school board activism.
Why is it so hard to understand parents care about their children?
Neither Swinburn nor the California Teachers Association has commented on the story.
