Pittsburgh Public School has responded after a video posted on TikTok went viral.
In the series of videos, a mother claims her daughter was forced to resister to vote while in school. PPS says that is not the case.
In a text exchanged, shared by the mother, the student says she was pulled out of class to register.
The mother, who says in the video that she is a supporter of Donald Trump, claims the PPS staff member was saying thing about how damaging another Trump presidency would be to people of color.
In the posted text exchange, the daughter claims she was registered Democrat.
In a follow-up video the mother secretly recorded with a PPS staff member, she expresses her dissatisfaction with the school registering her 17-year-old daughter to vote.
Pittsburgh Public Schools released a statement to KDKA Radio, saying that the staff member did not share any political opinions, did not try to influence the student and that the staff member was recorded without consent.
The statement from PPS reads, in full:
A PPS parent recently posted videos on TikTok expressing concerns about her daughter's voter registration experience at a Pittsburgh Public Schools program. The parent alleges that her daughter was pressured to register as a Democrat and that a staff member shared negative comments about former President Donald Trump. The parent subsequently visited the school to address her concerns, recording her interaction with a staff member without their knowledge, and later posted this video to TikTok.
In accordance with Act 35 of 2018, which includes the Assessment of Civic Knowledge – Pillar 3: Action, PPS supports student voter registration as part of its civic engagement initiatives. Schools are responsible for informing students about voter registration opportunities and offering necessary assistance, which may include one-on-one support. Furthermore, a Consent Decree permits public schools to function as registration agencies, particularly in providing services to persons with disabilities (94-CV-7671, E.D. Pa.).
To support this initiative, each high school has a Youth Voting Engagement Advisor who receives a stipend to guide students in civic engagement and voter registration activities. The Advisor, featured in the video without her consent, identified 19 eligible students for the upcoming November 5th election. According to the Advisor, the student was invited to step out of class to discuss voter registration, agreed, and completed the registration process. The staff member, who also serves as a Minority Inspector of Elections, affirms that no political opinions were shared, nor was there any attempt to influence the student's party affiliation.
There is no evidence to support the parent’s allegations.
KDKA Radio’s Colin Dunlap shared the mother’s videos on “X”.