WASHINGTON (BP)–Some 50-60 high school students in the Richmond, Va., area have been disciplined for using school-issued laptop computers to access and download hard-core pornography from the Internet. According to CNSNews.com, Henrico County school officials said the incidents were few in number and were handled appropriately, but others say it is a bigger problem nationwide.
“This is not an isolated incident,” said Gary Beckner, executive director of the Association of American Educators.
“The problem is that this is something where the kids are ahead of the teachers. We’ve got all this wonderful equipment but the teachers have come out of a system where they were not trained to use it properly. The kids, of course, are experts at it because they have grown up with it,” Beckner said.
Henrico County public schools last spring entered into an $18.5 million deal to lease Apple iBooks for its 11,800 high school students. But, during the last seven months according to school officials, 50 to 60 students have been disciplined for using the hardware to access pornography.
Mark A. Edwards, superintendent of the school district, said most of the incidents involved students downloading the material from home. He would not disclose how the students were punished.
“This is not something that is new. I really think that it is not so much a technology issue as it is an individual integrity issue,” Edwards said.
He said students have been bringing inappropriate material to schools for years, and the consequences have not changed for those who violate the school rules. The school policy remains the same: “Pornography is inappropriate.”
“I think the key is that we be vigilant in this. I do think that there is a silver lining, in that it has called to the attention of the students that we will take severe disciplinary steps to enforce our code of conduct,” Edwards said. “If students are distributing pornography, we will bring criminal charges against them.”
Edwards said it is important to remember how few incidents have occurred. “If you look at it in terms of percent, we’ve got over 12,000 laptops out and we have had 50-60 cases, so it is a very small percent,” he said.
“I believe that we must focus on the 99-plus percent that are doing the right thing. It is regrettable that we have had any cases but it is an issue about individual ethics, morals and responsibility.”
Beckner acknowledged the importance of using computers to educate students, but said teachers must also be up to date on the use of the technology.
“It’s wonderful technology, but without the proper controls and the proper training for those in charge of that technology, this is not going to be an isolated incident. It will continue to happen,” Beckner said.
A spokeswoman for the National PTA, the nation’s largest volunteer child advocacy organization, said the group has set a standard for which technology should be used in schools.
“Children should be protected from sexually explicit, violent, racist, hate-filled and abusive electronic content and predators,” Jenni Gaster Sopko said. “Parents, the online industry, technology companies, the Federal Communications Commission and content providers have a responsibility to monitor and provide quality content for children and youth.”
Edwards said the district will continue its computer program and believes the advantages far outweigh the problems. “We’ll deal with the offenders in a very serious fashion, but we are seeing an enriched classroom experience where there is an engaged methodology. Students are engaged in learning rather than just being passive learners,” he said.
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Pyeatt is a staff writer with www.CNSNews.com. Used by permission.
