A cease and desist letter posted to a Twitter account with the Knoxville Community School District letterhead, is fake according to Knoxville School Superintendent Cassi Pearson.

A picture of the letter was posted by the Twitter account @KnoxHS_Memes on April 1st claiming the account would be deactivated on Wednesday, April 5th, “due to legal action from KCSD.” Superintendent Cassi Pearson says, “the letter is fictitious and does not represent the opinions of the Knoxville Community School District or Board of Education.” The Twitter account @KnoxHS_Memes posts comical material aimed at poking fun at Knoxville High School teachers, administrators and school related material. The complete press release from superintendent Pearson is posted below:

FAKE NEWS ON TWITTER

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – April 4, 2017 – A post was shared on @KnoxHS_Memes’ Twitter account on April 1, 2017. It included a copy of an image supposedly from the school district warning the creators of the Twitter account to cease and desist its use. THE IMAGE IS FAKE NEWS. The letter is fictitious and does not represent the opinions of the Knoxville Community School District or Board of Education. As protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of speech, opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. As such, the Knoxville Community School District is the first to support the expression of students, as it is essential to acquiring the knowledge of who they are and who they want to be. However, we live in a world where information is readily at our fingertips and often behind a screen. Information is easy to post, instant to view and can be shared quickly to a wide audience. While there are many advantages to the ability to disseminate information, there are also problems that can arise. One of these problems is the fact that it is sometimes difficult for readers to distinguish between real and fake news, images or other content. Fake news also often hides under the appearance of a legitimate source and is often made to appear official. With an increased level of fake news, the school district encourages readers to fact check—make sure information is accurate before they accept it as the truth. Before passing on information to others, readers can check sources and explore the content to make sure it is truthful. Whenever you have a question about something happening within the school district or a student’s classroom, please don’t hesitate to contact the school’s principal or the superintendent. The Knoxville Community School District takes its responsibility seriously to serve as a credible and responsive source of information.