Schools, Parents Work To Monitor "Sexting" Which Can Lead To Penalties
by Laura Uribe-Center, Special Programs Director
April 24, 2009
School administrators have been dealing with students and cell
phones for quite some time now; however there is something new for
them to worry about. It is called “sexting”, or sending naked
pictures of one’s self to other people. But if you’re under 18
years old, sexting can carry a heavy punishment.
According information distributed from the Office of Safe and Drug
Free Schools and Communities, it is very important for parents to
be involved in their child’s life and to monitor their electronic
activities. It is especially important to know the consequences,
which according to police can have kids as young as ten years old
(which is the age of culpability) registering as sex of¬fenders or
be convicted of third-degree felonies. It doesn’t matter if the
photos are shared between two consensual teenagers as in a
boyfriend and girlfriend, the charges still apply.
As we know, it is hard to monitor everything. According to a parent
interviewed, “It kind of catches you off guard because you can try
to control those things as much as you would like to but it’s not
feasible to look over your kids shoulders. You just try to educate
your kids.”
To have the most impact, the school district and parents must work
together to educate students about the consequences of their
actions. With this consolidated effort we can prevent students from
falling subject to punitive action because they were simply
playing. Take a moment today to speak with your child concerning
this is¬sue, and if you have any concerns, please feel free to
contact the cam¬pus principal.
