The incident didn’t occur on school property although all those involved attend Lagonda Elementary School.
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APPS FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS
A Springfield City School District spokeswoman said the district will wait until the police investigation is completed before they decide whether the school needs to launch an investigation of its own. Springfield police said they seized two phones during their investigation and officers are working to see if any inappropriate photos are on them.
Local officials have few options to deal with sexting because the only criminal charges that currently apply are typically associated with child pornography and adult offenders, said Amy Smith, a Clark County assistant prosecutor. Those carry serious consequences, including a potential sex offender classification.
The Stop Texting program is similar to probation and provides another alternative, she said.
“Obviously we view sexting a little differently than an adult who’s trying to create child pornography,” Smith said. “We don’t have a sexting statute in Ohio at this time. In order to combat that we thought this would be a good way for us to educate the juveniles that this is inappropriate and illegal and still punish them but also educate them.”
READ MORE: Clark County school district warns on phone scam
Criminal charges are dismissed on the condition that the students complete the program. Prosecutors are also working with local school districts to make students and their families more aware of the potential consequences of sending inappropriate photos, Smith said.
The goal is to curb the behavior by being up front about the potential consequences, she said. The prosecutor’s office has prosecuted children as young as 13 for malicious behavior.
“If you’re handing your kid a cell phone, it is a responsibility much like a driver’s license and you need to educate your child about the rules and responsibilities,” Smith said.
Angela Hall, a parent whose children attend Lagonda Elementary School, said she was surprised to learn about the incident.
“At that age they shouldn’t even be thinking about that stuff,” Hall said.
About the Author