How Can They Say It Wasn't Spying?

The 69-page "Report of Independent Investigation" that was released by the school district last night concludes that no evidence was found that the laptop software was used to spy on students. My dictionary says the verb spy means to watch secretly. That's what the school district did. Whatever its motives, the school district captured thousands of images of students, many of them in their bedrooms, without their consent. That's spying.  We can disagree about how much harm was done and what the extent of damages is, but it is spying. For the school district and its lawyers at Ballard Spahr to pretend otherwise could be the beginning of a public relations effort to minimize this incident by sweeping it under the rug.

Was it a conflict of interest for Ballard Spahr, the same law firm that is defending the school district in the laptop litigation, to also conduct the "independent investigation?" Would you have more faith in the investigation's findings if it really had been an independent investigation? You decide.