Barat incident shows parents should monitor students on Net
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/04/2008
According to police, an English teacher e-mailed topless photographs of herself in November to a 15-year-old student.
The independent Catholic school in Dardenne Prairie has been my first choice for my daughter's high school education since it opened last year. My husband volunteers as Barat's ice hockey coach and my daughter is a member of the team this year.
I was attracted to the school for many reasons. At the top of the list were the people running it, who have years of solid administrative and teaching experience.
My daughter's safety wasn't even a consideration until I read about the criminal charge against the teacher, whom I did not know.
My first reaction was to call the Sheriff's Department to find out what had happened. Authorities told me that the school had handled the situation well. Administrators reacted quickly and fully cooperated with the police investigation.
The student's parents had discovered the e-mail and told Barat President Debby Watson. She immediately removed the teacher from her classroom. The teacher was fired about two weeks later.
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It's these types of stories that make parenting in today's high-tech world so difficult. Computers have become a part of our daily lives and will become even more important in the future.
On one hand I want my child to be technologically savvy and able to use all of the tools that are available for her to learn and grow. But at the same time, I have to balance that against safety.
Watson credited the quick resolution of the Barat case to the student's parents, who had routinely been monitoring their son's e-mail account.
"The parents did all the right things," Watson said.
I wondered what made the parents do those checks. Maybe they had taken some type of Internet safety course or maybe someone in their family is a member of law enforcement.
The parents aren't talking to the media, so I'm not sure.
Even with everything I saw when I worked as a police beat reporter, I don't think I would have been looking at the e-mails.
On one hand I want my child to be technologically savvy and able to use all of the tools that are available for her to learn and grow. But at the same time, I have to balance that against safety.
Watson credited the quick resolution of the Barat case to the student's parents, who had routinely been monitoring their son's e-mail account.
"The parents did all the right things," Watson said.
I wondered what made the parents do those checks. Maybe they had taken some type of Internet safety course or maybe someone in their family is a member of law enforcement.
The parents aren't talking to the media, so I'm not sure.
Even with everything I saw when I worked as a police beat reporter, I don't think I would have been looking at the e-mails.
[...]
Right now, my daughter doesn't have an e-mail account. Her computer usage is limited almost entirely to typing up school papers. If she does use the Internet, we talk about it.
My daughter knows what happened at her future high school and promised to report any unusual e-mail once she gets a laptop, which is issued to every student at Barat. But I also will be monitoring her computer account because it's the only way I can try to keep her safe.
The e-mail incident at Barat could happen anywhere and once again is a cautionary tale for parents. If parents aren't already monitoring their children's activity on the Internet, they should be.
My daughter knows what happened at her future high school and promised to report any unusual e-mail once she gets a laptop, which is issued to every student at Barat. But I also will be monitoring her computer account because it's the only way I can try to keep her safe.
The e-mail incident at Barat could happen anywhere and once again is a cautionary tale for parents. If parents aren't already monitoring their children's activity on the Internet, they should be.
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1 comments:
That teacher sending the nude photos is so awful, yet not unheard of. High tech isn't really kid friendly. Just look at all of the trash on the internet. (except Timman's blog, of course) I supervise (sit next to them) any internet searches of my children.
Most of us parents did not use email as children or even teenagers, and we survived our teen years! I do not think that any child should be allowed to use email unless a parent is reviewing every item that is sent and received. What happened to just talking on the phone to your friends? That is definitely a safer approach!
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