A school class lesson that appears to bear the official letterhead of Grosse Pointe Public Schools has caused an uproar on social media by posing invasive questions to students about their families. The document asked students questions such as what church they went to and who their parents voted for, and why. The document asked if they lived with their parents and if not, why not. The document also asked students if anyone in the family had a criminal record and asked for details of any crimes. 

The school district said the students were not expected to answer any of the questions.

Nikki Snyder, a member of the Michigan State Board of Education, read from the mock letter at the state board meeting and said it gave no indication whether it was part of a school assignment.

According to Snyder, some of the questions were:

Do you live with your parents? If no, with whom do you live? Explain why you do not live with your parents.

Do you attend a church on a regular basis? If yes, write the name of the church. If no, explain why not.

How many bedrooms are in the house in which you live?

Has anybody in your family ever been accused or convicted of a crime? If yes, explain.

Do the adults in your family regularly vote in elections? If yes, which political party, Democrats, Republicans, or other do they usually vote. If no, explain why they do not vote regularly.

The school district said a student took a photo of the questions, given as part of an assignment, and posted it on social media with no context.

Grosse Pointe Public Schools released a statement about the document. It read in part, “This simulation was meant to demonstrate McCarthyism. This was explained to students moments after the official looking document was handed out, in our letter to parents, and in our Superintendent’s comments at the televised board meeting that evening. … No data was collected, and to be doubly safe all forms were shredded immediately. This is a powerful lesson teachers have used for years.”

On April 11, the district sent a letter to parents about the assignment.

“The teachers designed this exercise several years ago. This is the first time we have experienced an issue with it,” the district stated. “While we apologize for any misunderstanding or apprehension it may have caused, we support our teachers’ ability to create lessons that resonate with our students and have a lasting impact. There was no harm done with this exercise and certainly none intended.”

The term McCarthyism refers to the practice in the 1950s when government officials accused some citizens of being Communists and disloyal to the United States, usually with little or no evidence. Sometimes, citizens were subjected to unsavory investigations.

Correction: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recommended schools require masks, but the decision was left to school districts or local health departments.

Two recent events in Detroit illustrate an ongoing disconnect between political elites and the people they are supposed to represent. The Michigan Democratic Party held a convention at Huntington Place in Detroit on April 9, and according to images and video from the event, face masks were not required.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrest, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson all appeared without masks. There is no mention of a COVID-19 policy for the event on the party’s social media and website.

The Michigan Democratic Party posted a link to an April 10 Michigan Advance story that had three pictures, including shots of Whitmer, Nessel and Benson without masks. The story also included a photo of about a half dozen children on stage at the event not wearing masks.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services had recommended a mask mandate on children attending schools but rescinded that recommendation on Feb. 16. The final decision was left to school districts or local health departments.

But a different set of rules applies each day to children attending Detroit’s public schools. Their spring break ended on April 1, a week before the convention. As students were returning to class, Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti announced a mask mandate would remain in force there.

Vitti wrote on the school district’s website: “I hope everyone has enjoyed their first day back from break. I wanted to take a moment and update everyone on our mask mandate for employees and students. Currently, all individuals inside DPSCD school buildings, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask unless you are outdoors.”

Vitti noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Michigan Health Department, no longer recommend masking indoors. But citing the Detroit Health Department and low vaccination rates in the city, he wrote, the district would end its masking requirement later than others would. Nearly all students are regularly tested for COVID-19, but school officials will not end the mask mandate until “students who do not consent to COVID testing move to a virtual school environment.”

Detroit Public Schools Community District spokeswoman Chrystal Wilson stated that Vitti told the school board on Tuesday the district will "continue to monitor the science and data and possibly be adjusting the requirement at the end of the week or following the Easter weekend."

On Jan. 3, 2022, there were 3,569 confirmed cases of COVID in Wayne County when COVID cases were peaking in the state. As of April 5 (the most recent date data is available), there were 79 confirmed cases in Wayne County.