Student Spreads Rumor of Alien Invasion to Get out of Math Test

Hemlock Public Schools in Hemlock, Michigan recently issued a press release in hope of quashing a rumor of an impending alien invasion. This rumor spread on social media, led parents to contact the school district for information, and finally resulted in the necessity of the Superintendent speaking out on the subject. In short: the aliens have not arrived.

The school district has investigated the rumor and determined that it began with one student who wished to create a distraction that would allow him to avoid taking a math test.

The press release urges members of the school district to verify information claims before believing them, let alone spreading them online.*

This warning stresses the importance of information literacy, which is, as a librarian, the most important thing that I teach to my students. An outrageous rumor on campus is a good teaching opportunity.

I've toyed around with the idea of creating an information literacy game that begins with intentionally starting a wild and false rumor on campus that inductively leads students toward evaluating the veracity of the rumor. But the project proved to be too complex to practically execute.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Hemlock Public Schools

*Assuming that the press release is accurate, which I am unable to verify at this time.