Scary

The latest issue of neatoday contained a very interesting, eye-opening article about the need to remember that we must be careful to use technology responsibly and carefully! The article talked about a 30-year teaching veteran who was approached by a student concerned about 'sexting.' The teacher asked the student to forward the image to his cellphone so that he could bring it to the administration. In retrospect, this was a poor decision.

The teacher did bring the issue to administration and and the student was expelled. So, when the police came to talk to him a few day s later he thought nothing of it...until HE was being arrested. Apparently, the mother of the expelled student, seeking retribution, went to the police and complained that the teacher had the image on his cell. The police arrested the teacher on a variety of charges, including possession of child pornography.

His entire world came crashing down in the form of dismissal from his position at the school and a 7-month legal battle. After months of defending himself, and $167,000 later, he was cleared of any wrong-doing.

The judge found that the mother of the expelled student was simply being "vengeful" and the legal fees of the teacher were covered by the school board. The teacher learned a valuable lesson and I certainly reflected on my own use of technology at school.