Fort Worth ISD health council meeting hacked with pornographic images
A Monday meeting for the Fort Worth Independent School District’s School Health Advisory Council took an unexpected turn when some online attendees “displayed inappropriate content on their screens instead of identifying themselves or using a blank screen.”
The district is investigating the hacking incident, described as pornographic, that interrupted the Zoom meeting at about 5:50 p.m., according to meeting notes.
The 21-member advisory council consists of parents, health and physical education teachers and community members who weigh in on health education curriculum.
“We want to express our sincere apologies for any discomfort or offense this may have caused to those present during the meeting,” district officials said in a statement. “We understand the importance of maintaining a safe and respectful environment during all school-related activities, and we take this matter very seriously.”
Council members were discussing a potential sex education curriculum for the district during the meeting and, after the hacking issue, selected Choosing the Best curriculum, “an abstinence-centered, sexual risk avoidance education,” as an initial recommendation to the school board. Fort Worth ISD this school year is not offering sex education after Superintendent Angélica Ramsey announced the district had pulled its HealthSmart curriculum, following pushback from parents who disagreed with the inclusion of topics such as sexual orientation and gender identity.
In regard to the hacking incident, community members during a school board meeting on Tuesday called it “unacceptable,” demanded consequences for the IT staff who supervised the meeting and questioned the district’s ability to protect students from similar issues when using district devices.
“The technology person should be fired,” said Hollie Plemons, a frequent attendee of board meetings and vocal critic of the district.
Speaker Aaron James noted the incident as an example of why officials should steer away from using technology in learning spaces, stating that “our children’s innocence and privacy are at stake.”
“This incident happening by itself should be reason enough to get away from learning (while) using technology. There’s so many things that can go wrong and last night exposed that,” he said.
In the statement, district officials said the incident didn’t reflect the values of the school district, and they are determined to prevent similar ones from happening in the future.
“We want to assure you that we are committed to maintaining a positive and inclusive environment for all participants in our school community,” officials said.
This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 8:51 PM.
