“I Don’t Give A F***”: Top Maryland Education Official Caught Using Encrypted Msg App As Grade Scandal Deepens

Investigative journalist Chris Papst of Fox45 News’ Project Baltimore has been main the cost in exposing an enormous grade scandal and subsequent cover-up within the nation’s fourth most funded faculty system. The corruption is not confined to the Baltimore City Public Schools stage; it extends all the way in which as much as the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools. 

SCANDAL: #ProjectBaltimore can now affirm the Maryland Schools Superintendent @MdPublicSchools used an encrypted, auto-deleting, messaging App (Signal) to conduct state enterprise. Add this to his hidden electronic mail account and the 98 deleted texts we uncovered.https://t.co/lgu2t7xNHP

— Chris Papst (@chrispapst) September 7, 2023

The newest report Papst shared comes weeks after his group discovered metadata for 98 text messages despatched or obtained by Maryland Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury within the first quarter of this yr — across the time the state modified grades that not could be seen. 

Before

After 

And why would the state change the grades? Well, it is alleged that Superintendent Choudhury wants good optics for the crime-ridden metro space after Papst’s group launched this stunning report in February: ‘Education Crisis’: 23 Baltimore City Schools Have No Students Proficient In Math. 

Papst believes these textual content messages maintain the reply to why the state authorities made the statistical cover-up. His newest report contains “an encrypted cell phone app and never meant to be seen by the public are now shedding light on what’s happening at the Maryland State Department of Education,” in accordance with the Project Baltimore report. 

Here’s the report:

The messages seem to help considerations over the state superintendent’s management, transparency, and creation of a poisonous office tradition.

Project Baltimore requested Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury in regards to the messages on the August 22 state board of schooling assembly.

“Mr. Superintendent, have you ever used the Signal Application in commission of your job?” Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst requested.

Choudhury replied, “I have no comment. For my job, no.”

“You’ve never used Signal for your job?” Papst requested once more.

“No,” replied Choudhury.

On report, Choudhury advised Papst that Signal wasn’t used for work-related functions. However, new screenshots from a senior worker in Maryland Public Schools (who wished to stay nameless) recommend in any other case. 

Project Baltimore obtained screenshots of conversations between Choudhury and high-ranking workers throughout the Maryland State Department of Education.

Each one is a “Signal Message” despatched by “Mohammed Choudhury” to not less than one high-level worker at MSDE who requested to not be recognized. Project Baltimore obtained a number of textual content threads, which the supply says had been despatched between late 2021 and 2022.

In the screenshots, Choudhury’s identify and movie are seen. The telephone quantity can also be registered to the superintendent. In the messages, Choudhury definitely seems to be speaking about work.

In one screenshot, Choudhury “set the disappearing message timer to 1 hour”, which applies to pick messages.

Choudhury writes, “All of that teacher assignment stuff is too much.”

In one other Signal message, Choudhury tells an worker a undertaking wants “A LOT of work.” He goes on to say, “as of now, I’m not even close to green lighting anything there”.

In one other occasion, Choudhury seems to berate his worker, saying, “What feels like a waste of time is tell (sic) me last minute we are changing survey links when I told you I didn’t want to do this.”

The worker responds, “I don’t understand what you see the issue to be”

Choudhury writes again, “I’ll make it easy for you guys. Your (sic) not changing it. It’s staying as is. Don’t meet with me today. Done. That’s a directive.”

“So cancel the Qualtrics license?” Asks the worker.

Choudhury responds, “Yes, I don’t give a F*** about Qualtrics at this point.”

What stays troubling is why the superintendent would use Signal on his private telephone, with some messages disappearing in a single hour for work-related duties. 

“And if those messages are set to disappear, they can’t be accessed under open records laws. Parents and taxpayers cannot see what’s being said by their state superintendent about public schools,” Project Baltimore mentioned. 

Here’s extra from Papst. 

Papst requested Tina Williams-Koroma, founder and CEO of TCecure, a Baltimore cybersecurity firm: “Does it concern you that the highest-ranking public education official in the state is using signal to conduct state business?”

“Yeah, I think it’s concerning to me that some of the information in records may not be accessible and discoverable,” Williams-Koroma replied.

Where is the nationwide outrage?