Edina Schools Investigating Source of Election Day Email Sent to Parents

At 5:58 p.m. on Election Day, two hours before the polls closed, an email disparaging incumbent school board members was sent out to a distribution list of South View Middle School parents. The email appeared to be a formal communication from the middle school.

It was not.

“It was clearly created by an individual who wished to remain anonymous and falsely represented themselves in the communication as if it came from the school,” South View principal Beth Russell wrote in an email to parents on Wednesday. “It is disheartening to see such a message sent to families, and I am sorry if the message sent offended those that received it.”

The email implied that incumbents were responsible for a decline in the district’s technology and language programs.

“All is not well right now,” the anonymous author wrote. “When voting, consider the incumbents under whose guidance the above situation has gradually occurred at Edina South View Middle School.”

Susan Brott, the Edina schools’ spokesperson, said the appearance of the email coming from the school was disturbing and that the district is trying to find out who is responsible for the email.

Were a school to send out a message advocating for particular candidates, it would be “inappropriate” and possibly illegal, Brott said.

Brott said she did not believe there was any leak of school data and that it appeared not all parents received the email message.

“Given that it wasn’t the entire school population, we’re going with the understanding that it was probably someone who created the list based on email accounts that they had,” she said.

The only election messaging the school district is allowed to give is that “it’s important to vote, make sure you educate yourself,” Brott said.