Last Updated on May 11, 2022
Three Arizona parents are suing the Scottsdale Unified School District after a “dossier” containing personal information of the former president’s political opponents was discovered. Former Scottsdale Unified School District President Jann-Michael Greenburg allegedly catalogued social security numbers, property records and divorce decrees, among other things.
The dossier, dubbed “the Greenburg files” was compiled in order “to silence and punish dissenting voices and frighten away other potential speakers who might dare express an opposing point of view,” reads the lawsuit. The file contained information on 47 parents who criticized the district’s curriculum at school board meetings.
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“Defendants used both legal and illegal methods to accomplish their unconstitutional goal. They amassed reams of public and private information about the Plaintiffs, including information related to Plaintiffs’ jobs, businesses, finances, medical history, family history, housing situation, and children. They videotaped, photographed, and recorded the Plaintiffs and their children,” the complaint continued.
The lawsuit names the Scottsdale Unified School District, former SUSD President Jann-Michael Greenburg, Greenburg’s father, and Greenburg’s father’s wife, according to the Washington Examiner.
Last August, Greenburg had sent an email to district parent Kim Stafford that included a screenshot and link to a Google Drive file in which he accused her of being “anti-Semitic” over comments she made about George Soros.
“Greenburg also publicly accused Plaintiff Kim Stafford of being anti-Semitic, conspiratorial, and prejudicial,” the complaint continued. “As proof of his claims, Jann-Michael attached files that, upon information and belief, came from the Google Drive, and involved activity on the Facebook Group that followed Ms. Stafford’s departure from the group. Jann Michael attached a screenshot of the public Google Drive hyperlink to one of the many files Mark Greenburg had amassed about the Facebook Group.”
Amanda Wray, a Scottsdale Unified parent, told AZFamily.com that the file contained images of her young daughters. When I first saw the contents of the Google Drive and I saw my 8- and 10-year-old’s photos, that was terrifying. And like, what’s he doing?” Wray told AZFamily last August. “But he has pictures of my vacation home, property records. I’m not a political opponent, I’m an involved parent and that is threatening to me and it makes me wonder why and what he was planning to do with those photos,” she said.
Folders included in the drive were reportedly labeled “SUSD Wackos,” “Anti Mask Lunatics” and “Press Conference Psychos.” One of these folders included a video showing parents holding signs reading “CRT is Racist” and “SUSD We Demand Transparency.”
The dossier was reportedly managed and compiled by Mark Greenburg, the former SUSD president’s father.
Amanda Wray, who is now a plaintiff in the suit, said she stopped engaging in the Arizona district’s activities because of the dossier. “I stopped engaging with the school district, and I stopped going to school board meetings because I was physically afraid,” Wray told 12 News.
After news of the “Greenburg Files” made national headlines last year, the district hired a private investigator to look into the matter. While Greenburg was demoted from his position as president, he is still an active board member, much to the dismay of parents.
The Scottsdale Unified School District serves a little over 23,000 students.
