Gossip website raises concerns at Washington high school
A website that invites people to anonymously post gossip about each other is creating problems at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. In the past week, students have used the site to bully, post compromising photos, and spread rumors about other kids' supposed sexual experiences, abortions, eating disorders, diseases and drug use. At least two students who have been the subject of the gossip mill are afraid to go to school. Assistant Superintendent Gail Miller has personally talked with parents of five students about the site. “I was horrified by what I saw,” Miller said. “This is outrageous.” Marysville School District posted a letter on its website alerting parents.
“We've given people a forum to say what they want to say,” said Elizabeth Bloch, a founder of the company that runs the website. “It's not up for us to censor them. If a user thinks some piece of information—however nasty or ... embarrassing—is true, that's their prerogative to let the world know about it.” Their site has no legal or ethical responsibility to protect kids by censoring gossip, said Bloch. The site also is about teaching responsibility, Bloch said. If enough users complain about a piece of gossip and label it “BS” or “not gossip,” it will eventually be taken down, she said.
The district will take disciplinary action against any student who it can prove puts something on the Web that hurts another student, Miller said. ‘If we could find out who, we would take action,” she said. “It is part of bullying, harassment and intimidation. We can take action on that and we will.” Tracking down students who can use pseudonyms to put gossip online is “almost impossible,” said Ken Ainsworth, the school district's technology director. The district has blocked the Web site from district computers, but most of the entries are made outside of school hours. School district officials urged parents to check up on their students' computer usage to make sure they aren't posting something that will hurt others. Police would investigate if death threats were posted or if students complained about cyber-bullying, Marysville police Cmdr. Ralph Krusey said. Despite its questionable content, the site is probably legally protected, said Michele Earl-Hubbard, media law attorney at Allied Law Group in Seattle. Even if someone were physically harmed as a result of something posted on the site, the company probably wouldn't be legally liable, she said.
Source: Everett Herald, 3/21/08, By Kaitlin Manry
[Editor’s Note: The school district’s letter is below, as is more information on cyberbullying and legal questions about a school’s authority to address it.]
Marysville School District letter to parents
NSBA Leadership Insider on Bullying
NSBA School Law Pages on cyberbullying laws