We are concerned about the increasing use of social networking Web sites by many young people. Internet sites such as Facebook.com and MySpace.com, which are popular among middle and high school students, provide students a forum to express themselves and network with other young people.
These sites, however, have the potential of being explicit, provocative, and inappropriate. Of greatest concern to us are the students who post photos or personal information online making them vulnerable to exploitation. Although protected by a password, such sites may be viewed by anyone from those with less than positive intentions to college admissions officers to future employers.
We are taking the following steps to ensure our students understand the ramifications of posting information on these sites: we will talk to parents at upcoming parent meetings, post pertinent resource information on our School’s Internet sites, and speak with faculty members and students about the implications of these Web sites. In addition, we will remind students about our “Acceptable (Internet) Use Agreement” and continue to prohibit them from accessing these Web sites from School computers. Signs are posted in our School libraries and computer labs clearly stating this message.
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