SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A Scottsdale school district Board member is under fire again amid controversy over privacy concerns.
Scottsdale Unified School District Board member Jann-Michael Greenburg is accused of collecting personal information and pictures of some parents and children in the district. The so-called “secret dossier” was discovered last year and now some parents are taking Greenburg and the school district to court.
“I stopped engaging with the school district and I stopped going to school board meetings because I was physically afraid,” said parent Amanda Wray.
Wray and two other Scottsdale Unified School district parents are leading the lawsuit, which they said was filed Thursday in court.
The complaint accuses SUSD Board member Jann-Michael Greenburg, his family members and the school district of a “conspiracy” to allegedly violate their rights like the invasion of privacy and first amendment rights.
Greenburg is accused of collecting private data like social security numbers, addresses and pictures about some parents like Wray, their kids and community members. The Google Drive containing this information was allegedly in Greenburg’s files and reportedly maintained by his father, who is also named in the complaint and accused of collecting most of the personal information.
Wray and other parents think they were targeted after speaking out against Board decisions, like COVID-19 policies, at meetings and online.
After news of the Google Drive erupted last fall, the Board voted in November 2021 to remove Greenburg as Board president, but he still remains a Board member.
Greenburg did not answer 12 News’ questions about what the drive was for, but attorney Harmeet Dhillon laid out the plaintiff’s case in the lawsuit.
“It’s to stop these plaintiffs and others like them from criticizing the school district to stop them from criticizing the school and Jann-Michael Greenburg,” Dhillon said.
An independent investigation requested by the district found that no district resources were used to create, maintain, or modify the google drive and a criminal investigation by Scottsdale police found no evidence of criminal conduct.
A spokesperson for the district said it never received a Notice of Claim and did not receive a copy of the complaint Thursday. The spokesperson said the district could not comment on the lawsuit without reviewing the documents.
Jann-Michael Greenburg did not respond to requests for comment. Greenburg’s father, Mark Greenburg, sent an email stating:
“I have great faith in our justice system and look forward to having these matters properly adjudicated in our courts.”
The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial in the matter.
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