Five opt out leaders back on Facebook, two more banned
Chris Cerrone has become the latest opt out leader in New York State to find himself banned from posting on his Facebook group.
A handful of education activists who had been banned from their Facebook group pages have had their access and posts restored, but at least two more have been removed from their pages.
Jeanette Deutermann, founder of Long Island Opt Out, had access and all her previous posts restored after a 24-hour ban.
She posted the words “I’m back” on her page, which has about 25,000 members, prompting posts from members welcoming her back along with questions as to what had occurred.
Deutermann believes other education activists and leaders also were reinstated, but the the reason for the temporary ban still has not been explained.
Chris Cerrone, who runs the New York Refuse Page, and Jessica McNair, who runs the Opt Out Central New York Page, have now both had their access and posts removed from their group pages.
All those removed posted an article from The Washington Post only to end up in what those on Facebook’s brief blacklist are now calling “Facebook jail,” although some were removed days after posting.
It’s not clear whether the bans somehow resulted from posting that article, which doesn’t appear to contain inflammatory content or anything on its surface that would lead to red flags, or some other cause.
The way organizers were removed from Facebook, nevertheless, points at once to the importance of this social media site in social organizing and the vulnerability of these groups relying on it as the core of their operations.
Leaders of groups who posted an April 12 article from The Washington Post about Teach for America on their group pages seem to be affected, while those posting the link on their personal page were not.
The article describes that group’s increasing difficulties in recruiting teachers, based on an article that Teach For America Elisa Villaneuva Beard posted on the Teach for America page.
Teach for America has been supportive of the Common Core and charter schools and received millions in funds from the federal government as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s wife Prescilla Chan, who is helping lead the couple’s massive philanthropy effort, worked for Teach for America, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The group recruits students from the nation’s top schools to teach in troubled schools, helping them
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