(NEW YORK) — Eleven civil rights and democracy groups have sent a new letter calling for social media CEOs to combat and curb the rampant problem of election disinformation ahead of the upcoming midterm elections as advocates warn that they expect disinformation to increase as Election Day draws near.

Advocates have been calling on the social media giants to do more to combat disinformation for months. In May, 120 organizations called on the platforms to do more to combat disinformation and on Thursday, the 11 organizations that sent the letter to the CEOs of Meta (Facebook), Twitter, YouTube, Snap, Instagram, TikTok, and Alphabet claimed that “the platforms have simply rolled out essentially the same set of policies that led to the social media election disinformation disaster two years ago.”

The advocates wrote that the “disinformation narratives about voting procedures and policies continue to proliferate, including false information about the use and security of mail-in ballots, drop boxes, and ballot collection.” They added, “Preemptive false claims of fraud are now spreading before elections take place, and election workers are increasingly harassed online.”

This is not the first time advocates have been concerned about disinformation as several of the civil rights groups who signed onto the letter were vocal leading up to the 2020 election about concerns. The organizations wrote to the CEO’s “disinformation around the 2022 midterms is inextricably intertwined with disinformation from the 2020 presidential election, with bad actors recycling many of the false claims made just two years prior.”

Additionally, the advocacy groups called on the social media giants to focus and invest more in non-English disinformation. They noted in their letter, “all users should be able to use your platforms without being inundated by election disinformation regardless of the languages they speak.”

Meta told ABC News that they have invested in $5 million worth of fact-checking and media literacy initiatives ahead of the November midterms. They’ve partnered with Telemundo, TelevisaUnivision, and Reuters to launch fact-checking tip lines in Spanish on WhatsApp and now offer free media literacy courses on SMS and WhatsApp to help teach individuals to identify misinformation. The social media giant says they have built the largest global fact-checking network of any platform and have with more than 90 fact-checking partners globally.

Snap told ABC News that Snap doesn’t “allow unvetted content the opportunity to ‘go viral.’ Snap does not offer an open newsfeed where people or publishers can broadcast false information.” Ahead of the midterms, Snap says it has established an internal process for information-sharing and monitoring the effectiveness of its companies polices ensuring that they can calibrate their approach as needed.

Snap added that it will “help mitigate the risks of foreign interference in elections, we prohibit the purchase of political ads from outside the country in which the ad will run.”

ABC News reached out to Twitter, TikTok and Alphabet, who did not yet return request for comment.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — America’s graduating high school class of 2022 had the lowest average ACT score in more than 30 years, according to new data.

This year’s high school seniors who took the ACT, a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States, had a national average composite score of 19.8, compared to 20.3 for the class of 2021. It’s the first time since 1991 that the average ACT composite score was below 20, according to data released Wednesday by a nonprofit organization of the same name that administers the exam.

“This is the fifth consecutive year of declines in average scores, a worrisome trend that began long before the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has persisted,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement.

What’s more, the data showed that only 22% of students among the 2022 graduating class met the benchmarks in all four main ACT test sections — english, math, reading and science — while 42% did not meet a single one. The benchmarks “demonstrate the minimum ACT scores required for students to have a higher probability of success in credit-bearing first-year college courses,” according to ACT. Last year, 25% of students met all four benchmarks while 38% of students met none.

The four ACT test sections are individually scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and a composite score — the rounded whole number average of the four sections– is provided.

“The magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming, as we see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting the college-readiness benchmark in any of the subjects we measure,” Godwin added. “These declines are not simply a byproduct of the pandemic. They are further evidence of longtime systemic failures that were exacerbated by the pandemic. A return to the pre-pandemic status quo would be insufficient and a disservice to students and educators. These systemic failures require sustained collective action and support for the academic recovery of high school students as an urgent national priority and imperative.”

However, more high school students are taking the ACT now than ever before — a trend that has been increasing since 2015, when only 27% of graduates had taken the test as part of a statewide or districtwide administration. For the class of 2022, 60% of students tested at least once through the program, which also enables lower-income students to participate when they wouldn’t have otherwise.

The data released included ACT score results from all 50 U.S. states as well as the District of Columbia. Sixteen of those states required all high school students to take the ACT as part of their statewide testing programs, while another seven states funded ACT testing on an optional basis.

The College Board, another nonprofit organization that administers standardized tests, has also noted a slight decline in scores for the SAT, which is widely used for college admissions in the U.S. According to data released in September, the average SAT total score for the graduating high school class of 2022 was 1050, compared to 1060 for the class of 2021.

Scores on the SAT range from 400 to 1600, combining test results from two main sections — math and evidence-based reading and writing — scored on a scale of 200 to 800.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(CHICAGO) — A fifth grade teacher has been arrested after telling one of her students that she had made a “kill list” of the students she taught and the colleagues she worked with.

At approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday, officers from the East Chicago Police Department were dispatched to speak with the principal and assistant principal of St. Stanislaus School — located about 20 miles south of downtown Chicago — in reference to a threatening report that school officials had learned about earlier in the day regarding fifth grade teacher Angelica Carrasquillo-Torres, a 25-year old educator from Griffith, Illinois.

“At approximately 12:45 p.m. a 5th grade student told his/her Counselor that their 5th grade teacher made comments to him/her about killing herself, students, and staff at St. Stanislaus School,” East Chicago Police Department said in a statement released on social media. “The teacher further told the student that she has a list and that he/she was on the bottom of that list.”

School officials say the teacher was immediately escorted to the principal’s office to discuss the disturbing incident and subsequently admitted to them that she did actually make those statements to the student and also confirmed that she had a “kill list” as well.

“During the conversation the teacher named a specific student on her list, but did not provide the list,” authorities confirmed. “The Principal then advised the teacher to leave and not return to school pending an investigation.”

The East Chicago Police Department said that they were not notified by the school until approximately four hours after the incident and the teacher was freely allowed to leave the premises. However, once officers were notified, they immediately notified the Criminal Investigation Division who obtained an emergency detention order for the educator from the Lake County Prosecutors Office.

Carrasquillo-Torres was taken into custody by the East Chicago Police Department on Thursday at approximately 11:15 a.m. without incident.

It is unclear if Carrasquillo-Torres has obtained legal representation but the investigation is still ongoing and authorities say no further details about the case or statements regarding the incident will be made at this time.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(FRESNO, Calif.) — A California teenager was arrested on Wednesday in what authorities described as a thwarted possible school shooting.

The unnamed 15-year-old boy — a student at Tranquillity High School, some 30 miles west of Fresno — was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and making criminal threats. He was booked into Fresno County’s Juvenile Hall, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

The student was taken into custody after he had allegedly posted threats on social media to shoot up his school. He was apparently upset after recently being involved in a fight at school, the sheriff’s office said.

Members of the community noticed the social media posts on Wednesday and quickly relayed them to school administrators, who then contacted their school resource officer — a deputy with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

That afternoon, deputies went to the student’s home and searched the house. They found a TEC-9 pistol and a magazine in his backpack. They seized the gun and arrested the teen, the sheriff’s office said.

Golden Plains Unified School District released a statement regarding the incident, thanking authorities and community members.

“School safety is a top priority for the district,” the statement read. “We appreciate the work of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and are fully cooperating with their investigation. We applaud the community members who chose to speak up and report the concerning social media messages and encourage others to do the same moving forward. Many lives at Tranquillity High School were potentially saved this week.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A juror in a trial connected to the 1996 disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart was excused Thursday after the judge learned he had discussed the case with his priest.

Smart, 19, a student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, went missing while walking home from a party.

Two separate juries started deliberating last week in the trials of Paul Flores, 45, and his father, Ruben Flores, 81, who were both arrested and charged last year in connection with her disappearance.

Paul Flores, a former classmate of Smart’s, was charged with murder, while his father was charged with being an accessory to the crime. Prosecutors say he helped hide Smart’s body on his property in Arroyo Grande before moving it in 2020.

Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O’Keefe excused the male juror from the trial of Ruben Flores Thursday afternoon after he had disclosed to another juror that he discussed his difficulties with making a decision during confession. The other juror then informed the judge in a note through the bailiff.

O’Keefe heard from both jurors on the record Thursday, starting with the since-excused juror, #262.

Juror #262 told the judge he had to “cleanse my body, that’s all,” and that he “did not discuss the facts of the case.”

“This case hasn’t been easy. It’s very hard. There’s lives at stake,” he told the judge, before being sent to the jury room.

O’Keefe then heard from the female juror, who reported that juror #262 told her he had told his priest he could only talk about the case inside confession — which indicated to her that he was discussing the case outside the courtroom.

The judge has reminded the jurors throughout the months-long trial that they cannot discuss the case with anybody, including spiritual advisers.

The judge brought juror #262 back to the courtroom and told him she had received information “that’s clearly opposite of what you’ve told us in court.”

She thanked him but explained that she needed to excuse him.

“Sometimes the appearance of impropriety is just as bad as actual impropriety. I need to protect the record,” O’Keefe said.

An alternate female juror was soon sworn in, and the jury was informed they need to begin their deliberations from the start.

Paul and Ruben Flores are being tried at the same time with separate juries hearing the case together. Once a verdict is reached by one jury, it will be sealed until the other jury reaches its verdict.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to their charges.

A judge earlier this year ordered that the Flores trials be moved out of San Luis Obispo County more than 100 miles away — north to Monterey County — to ensure fair legal proceedings.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Kiely Rodni, a California teenager who was missing for two weeks before her body was found in a car submerged in a reservoir, died due to drowning and there is no evidence of foul play, autopsy results released on Thursday determined.

The 16-year-old’s death has been ruled accidental by the Coroners Division of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, authorities said.

“This ruling is based on the pathologist’s finding that her death was the result of drowning and that there was no other information to suggest she was the victim of foul play,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The sheriff’s office is continuing to work with Rodni’s family “by evaluating any additional information related to this investigation,” it added.

Rodni was last seen on Aug. 6 around 12:30 a.m. local time near the Prosser Family Campground in the small town of Truckee, California, some 20 miles north of Lake Tahoe.

She was at a party with upward of 300 people when she vanished along with her vehicle, a silver 2013 Honda CRV. Her cellphone had also been out of service since she went missing.

A massive search effort ensued for two weeks before a body was found in a vehicle pulled from the Prosser Reservoir on Aug. 21, authorities said. The car matched the description of her SUV, and the body was confirmed to be that of Rodni two days later following an autopsy.

In a statement at the time, the teen’s family said they were “eternally grateful” for the love that friends, family, law enforcement, the media and communities all over the world showed them throughout their search for Rodni.

“We have weathered a storm of unfathomable force, and it is purely thanks to the army of warriors, matriarchs, healers and helpers holding us up that we continue to stand today,” her family said. “Mr. Rogers famously told a story of ‘looking for the helpers’ whenever he saw scary things in the news. We have not had to look for the helpers, as you have all come to our rescue in full force. We are forever indebted to you.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(GULFPORT, Miss.) — The shooting of a Black teenager by police in Gulfport, Mississippi, has led to outcry from family members and activists who say the teen was unarmed with his hands up when he was confronted by police. The teen died days later after being taken off life support.

Police say 15-year-old Jaheim McMillan was armed and refused to drop his weapon when officers fired at him following a foot chase.

The hashtag #JusticeForJaheim has been trending on social media, with some posting photos of the teen bleeding out while handcuffed on the ground.

During the Oct. 6 incident, officers responded to a 911 call about five teens waving firearms at passing cars and began chasing one of them, according to Gulfport police chief Adam Cooper, who held a press conference on the officer-involved shooting Wednesday.

Cooper told reporters that one officer observed McMillan was armed and gave orders for him to stop and drop his weapon.

“McMillan did not comply,” Cooper said.

Cooper also claimed McMillan “turned his body and weapon towards the officer,” so the officer fired at him.

Debra Stout, a Long Beach, Mississippi, resident told ABC News she witnessed the encounter and said she saw McMillan with his hands up. She says she was waiting outside her home for a phone call when she heard the gunshots.

“I did hear gunshots, I ducked. I didn’t know where they were coming from,” Stout told ABC News in a zoom interview. “There were guys on the ground, then I noticed the boy who passed away at the front door, but before that I did see him with his hands up.”

Stout says she could not see if McMillan was armed.

“I didn’t know if he was alive or dead,” she said.

She said she believes there was a lack of urgency in the medical response to McMillan, because the ambulance, she said, arrived on scene without a siren on.

“I feel terrible. I probably have to get counseling,” Stout told ABC News. “I dream about it every night.”

Family members disagree with Cooper’s claims that Jaheim was armed.

“If Gulfport Police Department had footage of my little cousin holding a gun, best believe it would already have been released,” one family member, Court Elle Bolton, said in a Facebook post.

A spokesperson for the Gulfport Police Department declined to comment. Family members of McMillan did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.

The Mississippi Attorney General’s office has jurisdiction on cases where officers use deadly force, Cooper said during the press conference. He said the Gulfport Police Department is “cooperating fully” with the AG’s investigation and will conduct an internal investigation.

Family members of McMillan also claimed in a Facebook video they were initially barred from entering a hospital in Mobile, Alabama, where the teenager was airlifted to following the shooting. The hospital — USA Children & Women’s Hospital — did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.