A group of current and former Lawrence high school students added multiple claims to their federal civil rights lawsuit against the Lawrence school district over its use of an AI monitoring software, alleging the district’s switch to a new software does not absolve it of the claims.
In August, nine current and former students filed a lawsuit against Lawrence Public Schools, alleging the district violated student privacy by using Gaggle, an AI monitoring software that sifts through anything connected to the district’s Google Workspace.
The amended lawsuit filed this week includes four new claims.
The first alleges Lawrence High School Principal Quentin Rials attempted to prevent a student from reporting on the lawsuit.
Three more claims say the district failed to properly respond to an open records request as required by Kansas law. It also includes new information about how the district does not allow students to opt out of Gaggle surveillance.
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The update comes after the district’s response to the lawsuit, which made a series of arguments seeking dismissal of many claims, including by arguing the district had stopped using Gaggle. However, district lawyers made no mention of the district switching to a new similar tool called ManagedMethods until asked by reporters.
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The school board did not vote on the switch. Board President GR Gordon-Ross said the board was kept updated as that change was made, but it didn’t require formal action because it cost less than the threshold for district expenditures.
Lawyers for the students argue the switch in which tool is surveilling files doesn’t affect the nature of the students’ claims.
“The District’s self-purported late‑summer 2025 change in vendor does not cure the constitutional infirmities; it merely continues them under another name,” the filing says.
District spokesperson Jake Potter did not respond to a request for comment on the new filing.
LHS principal added as defendant
The new filing by the students’ lawyers adds Lawrence High School Principal Quentin Rials as another defendant, claiming he attempted to prevent a student from reporting on the lawsuit.
Defendants now include the Lawrence school board, Lawrence Public Schools, Rials and LHS Assistant Principal Greg Farley.
In the early weeks of this school year, Rials issued a directive forbidding the LHS student newspaper, The Budget, from reporting on the lawsuit, which is a violation of a Kansas law that upholds student journalists’ free press rights. Although the district’s lawyer later walked back the order, the students argue the pressure and threats to their adviser continued.
The filing alleges that mere hours after the district’s lawyer confirmed students could report on the lawsuit, the paper’s editor-in-chief, Ashlyn Tell, was warned by a teacher that her adviser could face adverse employment actions if the story ran. The lawsuit says the actions created a chilling effect and suggests that the teacher acted on behalf of the district and Rials when meeting with Tell.
Students allege open records violations
The filing also alleges the district failed to properly respond to open records requests.
According to the lawsuit, student journalists in October requested a wide range of records under the Kansas Open Records Act regarding the district’s transition to ManagedMethods, including contracts and internal communications.
Although the district acknowledged receiving the requests, it failed to respond within three business days or provide any explanation for the delay, according to the lawsuit.
This publication filed a similar request on Oct. 29 and has yet to receive any records or information on cost or timeframe for producing the records. Potter has said the request is still pending review.
The lawyers argue in their filing that the district intentionally withheld information and delayed producing public records about the switch to ManagedMethods to impede public oversight and frustrate student journalists’ reporting and lawyers’ preparation of the amended lawsuit.
Opting out not allowed
The filing also recounts the story of a parent who tried and failed to opt his son out of Gaggle surveillance at Free State High School. The parent emailed Free State Principal Amy McAnarney, who said she did not have the power to do that, and referred the parents to district officials.
The parent emailed a slew of district administrators and school board members and received no response for more than two weeks.
Deputy Superintendent Larry Englebrick and then-School Board President Kelly Jones both responded and said it was not an option to opt a student out of Gaggle surveillance.
The lawsuit says the district’s actions were contrary to representations made to students and parents that opt-outs would be allowed upon request.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
Related coverage:
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Molly Adams / Lawrence TimesStudents allege open records violations in amended lawsuit against Lawrence school district’s AI surveillance
A group of current and former Lawrence high school students added claims to their lawsuit against the Lawrence school district over its use of an AI monitoring software, alleging open records violations and arguing the district’s switch to a new software does not absolve it of the claims.
Latest Lawrence news:
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
