A Special Note from the Middle School Principal
Recently it has been brought to our attention by parents and the New York State Police that some of our Middle School and High School students have been involved in inappropriate activity with cell phones. The inappropriate activity apparently has all occurred outside of school and has not caused any major disturbance with the educational mission of the district. We do however feel that we should inform parents of such activity. We encourage that all parents should monitor their child's cell phone and internet capabilities. We especially suggest that your child's photographic cell phone capabilities be monitored closely. Such entries referring to something entitled, "pic for pic" have been found to be especially disturbing. You may find it reassuring to have the photographic cell phone feature disabled. Verizon has informed us that they have a feature that blocks photographic and video messages. It can be easily applied and there is not a cost.
We would also like to note that this is not just a local problem. Time magazine writer Nancy Gibbs writes that kids now have a way of communicating with each other without us knowing about it. She writes, "They really have their own world. Parents who imagine they can escape the implications of this might want to spend some time clicking through the virtual playground where their children live." We agree.
William Burke