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Mass Online Public Schooling Has Opened A Pandora's Box Of Privacy Concerns

Virtual learning has fragmented the line between students' homes and schools, immediately sparking privacy scandals like Zoom-bombing. But according to Business Insider, the new school year has brought a rash of new problems, like parents appearing on-screen drunk, stoned, or nude. Or, school officials calling the police on a Black student who moved a BB gun in his room during class, to keep his brother from tripping over it. Many worry this increased reliance on remote learning has forced parents to choose between keeping their kids' schooling on track and protecting their civil liberties. Education professionals freely admit that in the rush to move learning online, little to no thought was given to privacy concerns, or the parents' on-camera behavior. Calling out a parent who's drinking a beer is really calling out the student, which isn't fair to the student who's not engaging in the behavior. It's not the teacher's responsibility, though, to manage the parent's behavior. Heather Johnson, an associate professor of science education at Vanderbilt University