Eighth Graders Penalized for “Sexting” In School

Original Story Posted: March 04, 2010

As the Atlanta schooling system is looking to crack down on behavior and have more of a grip on conduct and what is expected within school, two students were made examples.

With one being suspended and the other withdrawing, The Lovett School felt such actions necessary after the two were engaging in improper cell phone communication.

Making the transition from dirty texts, the students were caught “sexting” in which they were sending inappropriate images back and forth and sending sexually explicit messages, which is deemed as being a violation of Lovett's Technology Code of Conduct and Use Agreement.

"The students, both eighth-graders, engaged in the electronic transmission of

improper images and content," school spokeswoman Kim Blass said in a statement."Such behavior is in direct violation of Lovett's Technology Code of Conduct and Use Agreement."

The authorities have also been brought into the incident as there are numerous other students that are engaging in such activities.  According to Officer James Polite, the APD Child Exploitation Unit will determine if charges will be placed on students.

“Sexting” is a felony in all states if it is a photo of anyone under the age of 18, even if the person is sending photos of themselves.  Charges can be placed on the sender along with the person that receives the images.

In an attempt to put a tighter lid on the new trend, lawmakers are in the process of creating legislation.