Georgia lawmaker creates COVID-19 whistleblower email [View all]
Source: CBS News
Georgia State House member Beth Moore is inviting students, teachers or administrators to anonymously report unsafe conditions at schools, which have begun to reopen while cases of COVID-19 continue to rise. One Georgia principal threatened "consequences" to those who shared images of the school, prompting Moore to create an email account for whistleblowers.
North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia, faced national criticism over viral photos showing students shoulder-to-shoulder in the hallway with fewer than half wearing masks. The school initially suspended two students who shared the photos, then reversed course and lifted the suspension. Nine students and staff members later tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing the school to temporarily close a week after it reopened.
Before North Paulding High closed, its principal, Gabe Carmona, made an announcement to students, warning: "Anything that's going on social media that is negative or alike without permission, photography, that's video that's anything, there will be consequences."
Representative Moore tweeted on August 7 that she had set up a whistleblower account for "students, teachers & admins to share photos, videos & testimonials of unsafe conditions at school." "I'll give you the anonymous cover you need if you've been threatened w/ 'consequences,'" she wrote.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/georgia-lawmaker-creates-covid-19-whistleblower-email/ar-BB17Yj4R?li=BBnb7Kz
I guess students in Georgia are learning that the First Amendment does not mean that citizens can speak out about how public officials running schools in an unsafe manner. Instead, they are learning that First Amendment exists to allow Fox News and right wing media to spew false propaganda and for billionaires to be able to give unlimited amounts for campaigns.