By: Elizabeth Muster
Sexting. A buzzword on the news, which reports that nearly 40% of teens have posted or sent nude images, but one we don’t want to hear in regards to our own children (dosomething.org). When Chantay Taylor, a guidance counselor at Burns Middle School in Daviess County and a mother of three, realized just how dire the situation is, she decided to take action.
It was a particularly frustrating day at work last December. A fight had broken out. One student was accusing another of harassment. As Mrs. Taylor met with students in her office, she discovered that five different situations stemmed from students sending or receiving sexts. She investigated a little deeper and made 23 phone calls home to parents. She also contacted other schools in the area to see if they were experiencing similar issues. They were.
“What can I tell them could happen from a legal standpoint?” Mrs. Taylor asked her father, Larry Conder, a candidate for City Commissioner concerned about local youth and our community. Conder suggested his daughter contact County Attorney Claud Porter.
Porter explained that current legal action takes an all or nothing approach. If convicted, a juvenile would receive a felony and be labeled as a sex offender, so judges seldom pressed charges. To create a punishment to better fit the crime, Porter drafted a bill which would prosecute children under the age of 18 who knowingly transmitted a nude image or “sext” with a lesser offense. Mrs. Taylor then contacted Senator Joe Bowen to show support of the bill and kept in daily contact with him as it progressed.
Meanwhile Mrs. Taylor decided, “If we can’t scare them, let’s educate them.” She joined forces with Angel Welsh, the Youth Services Coordinator at Burns Middle School, and they shared a video with the eighth graders titled “Ally’s Story — Second Thoughts on Sexting.” This video, available online at CommonSenseMedia.org, had a profound impact on students. Mrs. Welsh commented, “Many students do not realize how life-changing sending a sext can be. Teens more often than not think in the here and now, which unfortunately hinders their judgment when using social media.”
On March 4, eighth grade teachers Robyn Hetman and Francie Watts accompanied 25 students to the Senate session at the Capitol in Frankfort where Senate Bill 37, was debated, amended, and passed. “We sent students to let them know that kids are in support of this bill as well as adults,” Mrs. Taylor explained.
Eighth grader Garrett Snyder attended the proceedings and enjoyed meeting important people, even posing for a group photo with Governor Matt Bevin. Garrett said the bill is important because “it has happened in our school and surrounding schools and needs to be addressed so kids know it is not ok, and that it can be punishable.”
The bill states that the “Transmission of a nude image by a person under eighteen (18) years of age is a Class B misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class A misdemeanor for each subsequent offense.” Social studies teacher Francie Watts explained, “A violation will not occur if reasonable steps were taken, whether successful or not, to destroy or eliminate the nude image.”
Slated to go before the Kentucky House of Representatives on April 15, the bill will become a law in July 2016 if passed. “It’s not going to just make a difference at Burns Middle School, but the whole state,” Mrs. Taylor explained.
What an impact one phone call can make! To show support of the bill, contact Representative Tommy Thompson at [email protected] or call 270-926-1740.
How to discourage sexting:
• Encourage healthy, respectful relationships whether online or in person.
• Emphasize responsible behavior by setting clear rules and consequences for your child’s cell phone and/or Internet use. You can also check call logs, set parental controls, and limit text messaging.
• Explain that sexts are public and forever and have present and future consequences including damage to his/her reputation, school suspension, team expulsion, and/or legal problems.
• Advise your child to tell a trusted adult immediately if he/she does receive a sext or is the subject of one. He/she should not respond to or forward on the message.
• Watch for warning signs in your child such as not sleeping, skipping usual activities, struggling in school, and communicating with strangers.
For more information about cell phone and Internet safety:
www.onguardonline.gov
www.netsmartz411.org
www.connectsafely.org
www.ikeepsafe.org
Information from “The Dangers of Sexting: How to protect your teen” (2015) Channing Bete Company, Inc.