Settlement reached with Michigan school superintendent who monitored parents’ social media and contacted their employers

The superintendent of a Michigan school district admitted under oath that he actively monitored parents’ social media and even contacted their employers and police after perceiving some of the messages as threatening. 

Key Players

Robert Shaner, the superintendent of Rochester Community Schools, has been superintendent since 2013.

Elena Dinverno, a parent of two children in Rochester schools, sued the district, accusing Kristin Bull, the board of education president, of calling her employer over social media posts, leading to her termination. 

Per Gazette Extra, Dinverno later updated her lawsuit to name Debra Fragomeni, deputy superintendent, as the one who called her employer. 

The lawsuit alleges that Lori Grein, the district’s spokesperson, and Amy DiCresce, the district’s public affairs specialist, were appointed to capture screenshots from parents who criticized the district on social media.  

Further Details

Located in southeastern Michigan, Rochester is a suburb about 25 miles north of Detroit that leans liberal. 

After the school board voted to begin the school year with remote learning in late July 2020, Dinverno posted online asking fellow parents to send testimonials on “hardship about the availability of in-person school,” Fox 2 Detroit reported.   

In the fall of 2020, Fragomeni called Dinverno’s employer and accused her of making threats toward school officials, the lawsuit alleges. However, at the time, Dinverno believed Bull had made the call, per Gazette Extra. 

Dinverno was called into a HR meeting and told to “watch what she was saying in the online forums.” In response, on Nov. 6, 2020, Dinverno wrote to the district that she did not make any threats and said her online comments were only “passionate, and appropriate advocacy.” 

On Dec. 12, 2020, Dinverno submitted a comment to the district’s feedback portal condemning the district for reporting parents to their employers. “It has come to my attention that certain board members are contacting parents places of work to notify them that their behavior on the social channels they participate in is undesirable,” Dinverno wrote. “Every parents has the right to express their sadness, frustration, anger, as a right to freedom of speech. They have no one to speak with because the nothing is changing!” 

“Our right to free speech. Is our GOD GIVEN RIGHT,” she added.  

Afterward, Shaner called Dinverno and told that there was nothing he could do about the board. The lawsuit alleged he “complained” about the “advocacy Facebook groups” and that the “the behavior of the parents participating in the group was wrong.” On Dec. 18, 2020, Dinverno was fired from her job.  

On May 3, 2021, Dinverno filed a federal lawsuit. She alleged there was a coordinated effort by the district to monitor parents in social media groups dedicated to bringing back in-person education. 

Soon after, the litigation process revealed the district had been monitoring more parents. An amended lawsuit stated that DiCresce and Grein monitored and took screenshots of parents’ social media posts and created dossiers listing parents’ places of employment, which were distributed to administrators and school board members.  

Outcome

Shaner admits social media monitoring, employer and police reporting

On Feb. 3, 2022, Shaner admitted during a deposition that he had reported social media posts to employers and to the police as a concerned citizen, Gazette Extra reported.  

To one of the employers, the Detroit Police Department, Shaner said the parent’s Facebook posts “were aggressive and they mentioned that people should go to people’s homes and protest. … I took his language as aggressive, concerning,” adding that he was “concerned and scared.”

In his call to local police as a concerned citizen, he said, he received a “threat” that included the phrase “wreak havoc,” admitting he called without reaching out to the parent to clarify the post.   

 Parents demand resignations at school board meeting

On Feb. 28, 2022, parents demanded the resignation of Shaner and other officials at a school board meeting, ABC 7 Detroit reported. 

“We have to address … the abusive and bullying behavior by our district that has been condoned by our board of education,” one parent said. A school board member also proposed a policy that would ban officials from taking action against people who make a “good-faith complaint” or raise a question. 

Rochester Schools settles lawsuit with Dinverno

On March 1, 2022, the district announced it had reached an agreement to resolve the lawsuit, ClickOnDetroit reported. 

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. However, Rochester schools did release a statement saying the district was working to be “responsive to the community” and that the district “values the input of its community members.”