Published: November 03, 2009 12:43 am      

'SEXTING': Roy-Hart taking proactive approach to safe technology

Sexting: A combination of the words sex and text, it’s is a way to send sexually explicit messages electronically, primarily between cell phones.

Niagara County sheriff’s deputies say several schools in Eastern Niagara County are having sexting problems.

The Royalton-Hartland district — which had its first sexting problem earlier this school year — is taking a proactive approach with a program to educate students on safety for cell phones and the Internet.

“Usually students who initiate the sexting come forward to an adult administrator in the school who they trust,” Superintendent of Royalton-Hartland Central School District Kevin MacDonald said.

MacDonald said the problem of sexting starts as early as middle school. Roy-Hart is trying to teach students how to use technology safely by teaching about it right in class, MacDonald said. “With technology, things can expand,” MacDonald said. “Luckily, a good number of students understand the causes and effects things like sexting can have on others.”

Roy-Hart is working with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department to implement a

program called iSafe in the health curriculum starting in middle school, MacDonald said. “iSafe is program that explains Internet safety to students.”

Chief Deputy Steven Preisch the sheriff’s department helped to set up iSafe nearly two years ago to teach Internet safety and to help prevent cyber bullying. “Its a way to pretty much show kids of a specific age what to do and not to do online regarding sharing privacy information.”

According to the sheriff’s missing persons statistics, in 2007, 65 percent of missing persons were linked to the Internet; that’s a 55 percent increase from 2005, Deputy Roger Haseley said.

A member of the state police will also visit Roy-Hart to talk about the danger of sending sexually explicit material electronically.

MacDonald said the school can only control so much. “We do have a strict no cell phone rule ... but sexting usually happens outside of school.”

MacDonald says his slogan to students before messaging is: “Would you send that message to your mother?” and if not, then MacDonald recommends not sending it.

“Depending on the content of the message, punishment can vary,” MacDonald said. “It can sometimes result in suspension.”

An administrator will look into the incident after a student has come forward with the complaint and look through the phone messages, MacDonald said. “If the message is pornographic, then something like sexual harassment can be put in place, and a very serious punishment will be involved.”

Contact reporter Britney Milazzo at 439-9222, ext. 6251.