St. Charles District 303 bans sexting as part of anti-bullying efforts
As St. Charles Unit District 303 explores ways to combat bullying, school board members this week banned one of the latest ways to create a hostile learning environment: Sexting.
The district's new policy specifically bans “creating, sending, sharing, viewing, receiving or possessing an indecent visual depiction of oneself or another person through the use of a computer, electronic communication device or cellular phone.”
Last year, about 20 percent of teens admitted to sexting in response to a survey by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
But District 303 Spokesman Jim Blaney said the district enacted a ban as part of a larger, ongoing look at the pitfalls of electronic communication among students and between athletes and coaches.
“We've got to do a little investigating into this just because of the brave new world of education and the ease of access new electronic devices give people to communicate with each other,” Blaney said. “We have a whole group of people looking into that right now. When you have new things to deal with from a technology standpoint, it has the opportunity to create new problems. Some changes are coming.”
Students in the district are already expected to keep cell phones out of all classes at all times, Blaney said.
The district has also spent the past few years looking at ways to combat teenage suicide. Bullying has been a particular target in that effort, especially in light of some students taking offense to T-shirts worn during a recent anti-bullying week that some interpreted as advocating death as punishment for homosexuality. Students pushed school board members to take another look at anti-bullying policies at the same meeting the board approved the sexting ban. Sexting played a role in at least one recent high-profile teen suicide in Florida that involved the exchange of topless photos via cell phone.