SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Scottsdale Unified School District has hired an independent forensic investigator after parents’ personal information, possibly only available through school records, was allegedly created and maintained in Google Drive folders by the father of Board President Jann-Michael Greenburg and shared by the elected official.
In a statement, Superintendent Dr. Scott A Menzel said Friday the investigator will help determine if any school resources were used inappropriately “to compile, access or modify the private dossier.”
He added, “It’s important to emphasize the District did not create, maintain or have control over the dossier.”
SUSD parents told 12 News they’ve known about the Google Drive folders and their contents since August but are only now coming forward after body camera videos were uploaded to the online folder.
Kim Stafford, a parent whose child no longer attends the district, said it all began when an email was sent to several school officials about a concern.
“In the fifth or six email in which [the board president] was accusing me of being anti-Semitic he attached a screenshot of his entire computer desktop and I noticed that it had that Google Drive with my name on it,” Stafford said. “I replied to an email to Jann-Michael Greenburg, Julie Cieniawski, Scott Menzel, along with [a parent] and expressed my alarm that Jann-Michael Greenburg had a Google Drive folder with my name on it and nobody responded to me after that.”
12 News has a copy of the emails that show the mentioned recipients.
Stafford said she shared the Google Drive link with other parents, including Amanda Wray.
“I was shocked, disgusted, terrified, not only did I see my name on it, [but I also] saw photos of my 8 and 10 little girls,” said Amanda Wray. “I don’t know what he was doing with my children’s photos.”
Wray said the Google Drive contained personal information of nearly 50 parents, including addresses, social security numbers, background checks, divorce decrees, photos, and “disturbing memes” with her and other parents’ faces on them.
Wray said she has been outspoken about the district’s COVID-19 policies during school board meetings and has asked for more transparency. She believes that and because she is part of the group of parents that are petitioning for Greenburg to be recalled, is why they were possibly targeted.
“The fact that unredacted communication between the district and parents made its way onto that drive is certainly something that district should investigate,” said Stafford.
Files in the Google Drive also show videos of a man on a motorcycle wearing a helmet, Wray said. She and other parents said the man is suspected to be Greenburg’s father, Mark Greenburg.
They allege in the videos he follows parents in the parking lot where a school board meeting was going to take place. Parents said he is heard in the video saying he wrote down the license plates of some vehicles.
Superintendent Menzel said SUSD staff report any suspicious behavior, such as taking photographs of parents, staff or students, on or adjacent to school property, to the appropriate security or law enforcement agency.
Menzel also added that “no Governing Board member has unfettered access to student records… any student information the Board may receive is in relation to discipline cases under its consideration, is limited in scope and provided by the district’s legal counsel.”
The Scottsdale Police Department released a statement saying they're investigating the situation.
"We are conducting an investigation into the matter and will report our findings once it is complete," the department said in a news release.
Wray is concerned that there are more personal information or picture files out there of her, as she said the body-camera video was shot in August and uploaded to Google Drive in October.
“You can’t expect students to behave and follow a code of conduct when the leader in our community is behaving so poorly himself,” Wray said. “He needs to resign.”
In an email sent to parents, board members Libby Hart-Wells and Patty Beckman said they are requesting a special meeting to vote to formally request Jann-Michael Greenberg to resign.
12 News reached out to Greenberg for comment but did not hear back.
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