Overview
- This week teachers at 24 Elevate Network elementary campuses were told to set up live web cameras and individual Zoom links for third through fifth grade classrooms to provide live instructional feeds.
- The district says the cameras do not record and are meant for instructional continuity so students can view lessons when a teacher is absent or a student is temporarily removed from class.
- An internal principal email obtained by reporters instructed teachers to display daily Zoom sessions through classroom projectors and to share the Zoom links with school administrators.
- Parents and the advocacy group Families Organized & Responding to Takeover say they received no advance notice, worry about student privacy and safety, and are demanding clear policies and technical safeguards.
- The cameras are part of the state-created Elevate turnaround model launched after the Texas Education Agency intervened in FWISD this year, and parents point to past unauthorized Zoom access during COVID as a reason officials must spell out protections next.