WDE social media hacked, shares school choice survey

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Department of Education shared a school choice survey on its social media last weekend, which an official said was the result of a hack. 
WDE spokeswoman Linda Finnerty said a link to the survey was posted on the department’s Twitter account by someone with malicious intent, and it has since been removed. 
She told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle its passwords have since been changed and recommends no one click on the survey, as it could lead to a virus or damage to electronics. 
“We’ve tried to investigate, and we’re still looking into it,” she said. “But at this point, we don’t have that identification.” 
Observers of the school choice survey have said it wasn’t just shared on the department’s Twitter account. There were reports it was seen on Facebook, which also came Wednesday from the Jackson Hole News&Guide. 
“The survey was promoted on the department’s Twitter and Facebook pages,” wrote reporter Evan Robinson-Johnson. “It was retweeted by the state of Wyoming and @WyoSUP, a collaborative group of school districts, colleges and education organizations.” 
Wyoming School Boards Association President Brian Farmer told the WTE he saw the survey on multiple social media platforms. 
It was brought to his attention last week by another member of the WSBA, who shared a link to the Twitter post and was concerned. He said he saw what he believes to be the same survey on the WDE’s Facebook, but didn’t compare them closely. 
In a follow-up text chain with Finnerty, she told the WTE the survey was never posted to the department’s Facebook account.
“I was very surprised,” Farmer said in response. “This sort of posting by a state agency generally gives some sort of legitimacy to the material that they’re sharing or reposting, or that they’re putting out there through their official channels. Yet, the survey itself certainly seems to be very much a promotion of a specific perspective.” 
He said it was unusual for a department that doesn’t engage in any partisan promotion. 
“I was also very disappointed in the agency that they would post something that was ... I don’t have a better term for it than propaganda,” he said. 
The “Wyoming School Choice Survey,” which was still online Friday at https:// wyomingschoolchoicesurvey.com/, has no connection listed to an official agency, nor does it provide any information about who created it. 
It provides those who would participate with 12 questions about schools in the state. It asks them to grade public schools in Wyoming and their communities on a scale from A to F, or undecided, and how much background knowledge they have on charter schools. 
It moves into education-related statements and asks participants to indicate if they favor or oppose each statement. 
Some of those include whether they agree with “reducing regulations as long as accountability for student performance remains high,” and “allowing schools to make quick, effective changes to improve student achievement.” 
Once the survey is submitted, it thanks participants and gives no indication what the survey is for or who will receive the information provided. 
“I think it encouraged the respondent to present an unfavorable impression of Wyoming public schools, and suggested that charter schools or charter options are somehow always a superior option to public schools,” Farmer said. “It seemed it was a promotion for charter schools, as opposed to taking an unbiased or neutral position – or even one that was just informative.” 

 
Farmer was not the only education advocate concerned with the survey being shared by the state agency. 
“I was disappointed to see a school choice survey being sent out from the Wyoming Department of Education,” said Wyoming Education Association President Grady Hutcherson in a statement. “WDE is our government agency charged with responsibly leading and stewarding our public schools; that is where the agency’s focus should be.” 
The Wyoming Legislature voted in 1995 to allow charter schools, according to the National School Choice Week website. The state currently has five, located in Cheyenne, Laramie and Riverton; Poder Academy is the one here. 
Despite both organization presidents criticizing the sharing of the survey, they held different perspectives on charter schools in the state. 
Farmer said the school boards association doesn’t believe charter schools are either inherently good or bad. He said every application must be judged on whether it meets the requirements under Wyoming law, and there are clearly times when they benefit communities in the state. 
He said he stands by the belief that charters should be approved by school districts and a neutral party, and held to the same standards as public schools. 
“It’s highly important for Wyoming to demand that public dollars have public accountability and public transparency,” he said. “It’s critically important that the governance of any school has local control, and so I think all of our charter schools need to be held to the same standards as our public schools.” 
He said if this is not the case, it shouldn’t be a charter school. It should be a private school and operate by different rules. 
The WEA also takes the position that programs such as charter schools should not negatively impact the regular public school program and must include adequate safeguards covering contract and employment provisions for all employees. They also must fully comply with statutory regulations. 
However, Hutcherson said charter schools come with unintended consequences that pose a threat to Wyoming students. He said allowing dollars to follow students out of the public education system into charter schools will only siphon money out of already underfunded public schools. 
“I find it ironic that this is called the ‘school choice’ movement because, for so many of our students, our traditional, existing public schools are the choice. Because of location, socioeconomic status or circumstance, public school is their one and only choice. And it is a choice that matters: For too many students, their public school is their main – or even their only – source of education, nutrition, counseling, health services, socialization and even safety,” he said. “How can anyone be willing to consider policy options that erode and jeopardize our public schools when they are the heart of our communities and the lifeline for our children?” 
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder has been in charge of the Wyoming Department of Education since being appointed to fill a vacancy in February, and has taken an opposing public stance. 
An advocate for school choice, he hosted a public information night in Cheyenne in May for a proposed charter school. He was joined by national advocates for the charter school movement. 
“A healthy school has zero tolerance for toxic behaviors, toxic attitudes or toxic ideologies. Healthy schools, where the adults are still in charge, students are respectful, common sense prevails, and where our nation’s long standing traditions are honored, not deleted,” he said at the event. “Which is why the charter school movement is such a critical piece in this whole thing. It breaks the stronghold of centralization, moves things back to the parents and local control, and brings competition back into the picture.” 
His support for the charter school movement earned him former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in his campaign during the Republican primary. 
“Brian Schroeder is doing an incredible job as Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction,” the Save America PAC said in a statement. “The proud father of seven children, Brian is a Champion for Wyoming Families. He is working hard to Advance School Choice, Deliver Education Solutions for our Children, and Defend Parental Rights.” 
Schroeder lost Tuesday to Megan Degenfelder in the Republican primary and will serve as state superintendent until January. He could not be reached for comment on the survey or the department’s social media pointing to it.
 
This story was published on August 20, 2022.