HOWARD, WI (WTAQ) – A letter sent home to parents at Bay View Middle School in Howard last week alerted them to keep an eye on their child’s cell phone and electronic devices.
This comes after WTAQ learned that several students reported a possible sexting ring among 8th grade students.
“A couple students did indicate to the teacher that they were concerned that these kinds of things are going on with some people that they know within our community,” says principal Steven Meyers. “I’m not totally sure what they said to the teacher, but I believe it had something to do with the kind of language or pictures that are sometimes posted by people that they know.”
Meyers did say that the reporting of it to the teacher came in an 8th grade health class after a lesson about cyber safety. Once the teacher learned this, they alerted Bay View’s administration and that’s when they decided to let all parents know what’s going on within the halls of the school.
“As students are talking about it in classes, especially about sensitive topics, we typically inform parents,” says Meyers. “We thought of using this as an opportunity to get the word out again, especially with how many kids getting new cell phones, we should get word out to parents and students that this should be something they talk about with one another.”
WTAQ was not informed about how many students may have been involved, nor what the alleged photos were. A Howard-Suamico school district spokesperson did say that no district-owned devices were used in this incident.
Meyers says this serves not just as a lesson to parents about cyber safety and security, but for students to feel comfortable saying something to teachers, counselors or other school officials if they see something.
Below is a copy of the letter sent home:
December 17, 2015
Dear Parents/Guardians:
This letter is part of our continued efforts to promote digital citizenship and cyber safety for our students. Most students have cell phones or other personal devices by this age and we believe school plays a role along with you in teaching students about cyber safety and communicating with parents about current issues.
Our 8th graders are currently learning about cyber safety in health classes and 7th grade will learn about it in third quarter. Students have a chance to learn, discuss, and ask questions about such topics as social media, cybersafety, sexting, etc. Often when discussing social issues, students will share with a teacher, counselor, or parent any concerns they have about these topics or their peers.
Our district filtering software is set to regulate accounts and devices so we are notified if such activity is taking place on student iPads. However, students may still engage in such inappropriate activity utilizing their personal devices, and we would not know about it.
Some of the most common methods used are Google, Dropbox, Snapchat, etc. As a parent you may want to address dangerous behaviors if your child has access to any personal technology.
As is often the case, it is common to believe that “my child would not do this.” Experts say that those who participate in these activities can cross all cultures, socio economic levels, and family belief systems. In other words, even “good kids” are susceptible. We offer this resource https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/pages/Talking-to-Kids-and-Teens-About-Social-Media-and-Sexting.aspx to help inform students and parents about cyber safety and recommend all parents talk with their students about these topics and closely monitor personal devices for the student’s protection.
Thank you for your partnership in keeping our kids safe.
Sincerely,
Steven J. Meyers Principal
