Students suspended
for Web postings
By ROB JENNINGS,
thnt.com Online, April 14, 2006
PARSIPPANY, NJ -- Seven
Parsippany High School students will serve 5-day suspensions starting Monday for
setting up two MySpace.com accounts filled with photos and "vulgarities" about
classmates and teachers, Interim Superintendent James Dwyer said Wednesday.
The students used cell-phone cameras to photograph classmates and school
employees without their permission, a violation of the K-12 district's policy,
Dwyer said.
A teacher surfing the Internet stumbled across one of the MySpace sites two
weeks ago, Dwyer said, prompting an investigation by high school principal
Anthony Sciaino and the school's police resource officer.
All seven students — two freshmen, three sophomores and two juniors — admitted
to their involvement last week and agreed to remove the sites from the Internet,
Dwyer said. The group included both boys and girls, he said.
Dwyer did not say how many photos were posted, nor did he outline the nature of
the comments. He didn't explain how administrators were able to identify
the students involved in the postings.
The suspensions will start Monday because classes are in recess this week.
Parents of all seven suspended students were notified and did not contest the
punishments, Dwyer said.
Sciaino and the township police officer assigned to the high school, Tony
Bonavitacola, could not be reached Wednesday. Township Police Sgt. Yvonne
Christiano said that Bonavitacola did not file a report in connection with the
incident.
"This is not a free-speech issue," said Dwyer. "They were using photos of
students and staff without permission."
Dwyer did not describe the comments and the photos that were posted on the
MySpace sites.
Names of the suspended students were not disclosed.
|
