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Metro Educates Parents About Drugs and “Sex-ting”

Metro Educates Parents About Drugs and “Sex-ting”
By Tasha Gorman
Moapa Valley Progress
Published February 17, 2010

Local Metro police officers presented a drug and ‘sex’-ting awareness program on Monday, February 8. Approximately 75 parents, students and community members attended the presentation held at the Ron Dalley Auditorium on the campus of MVHS.

Officer Allen Johnson spoke about the dangers of marijuana, methamphetamine, Ecstasy and prescription drug abuse. Johnson explained that marijuana is considered a gateway drug, often leading to other forms of drug experimentation and abuse.

Nationally and locally, prescription drug abuse is a concern for school officials, parents and police. Johnson presented some sobering statistics: Nevada ranks second in the U.S. for prescription drug abuse. With 300-400 people dying from prescription drug abuse every year, Clark County ranks third in the U.S. for prescription drug-related deaths.

The most common ways that teenagers are getting prescription pills are from medicine cabinets at their own homes, a relative’s home or from other teens, Johnson said.

Officer Johnson said that since prescription drugs comes from a doctor, many teens mistakenly believe that they are less harmful. “I think a lot of it is ‘mom and dad have a prescription so there is nothing wrong with me taking it’,” Johnson explained.

Punishment for prescription drug-related offenses at the school is stiff. “If a student is caught using them or is under the influence or in possession, they receive a 15 day suspension from school and they must attend the mandatory drug/alcohol awareness program either through CCSD or through our local CSAW,” MVHS Principal Grant Hanevold explained. “If they’re caught distributing, they’re removed from MVHS for one semester. After a period of one semester, they are allowed back into our high school on a conditional enrollment.”

Local parent, Wendy Mulcock attended the presentation and was surprised at what she heard. “The statistics were surprising and kind of sad,” Mulcock said. “I think the best thing a parent can do is to know who your kids’ friends are and to have them over.”

Another issue facing teenagers today that was discussed at the program is “sex-ting.” “Sexting” is the act of sending sexually explicit photos or messages between cell phone users. While many teens view it as a part of teen culture, its effects can be long-lasting and dangerous.

“Sexting” sometimes occurs with teens who are in a dating relationship. However, when the couple breaks up, the photos are often forwarded on to other teens, or worse, end up on the internet and become part of a teen’s future permanently.

According to a 2009 survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 15% of cell-phone-owning teenagers ages 12-17 had received nearly nude or nude photos by phone. Four percent of teens said they had texted sexually explicit videos or photos of themselves. While that percentage may seem low, Officer Johnson pointed out that those photos get sent out to many teens.

“It’s a small percentage of kids who are actually doing it,” Johnson said. “The problem is once the photos get sent around, there could be 20 or 30 kids who are seeing these photos.”

This issue has led to a handful of suicides across the country. Teens Hope Witsell, 13, and Jesse Logan, 18, both committed suicide after nude photos that they took of themselves circulated around their schools and communities and they became victims of name-calling and taunts.

“It’s becoming a source of bullying,” stated a local community member who has a teenager at MVHS. “Children don’t have a second to pull back and think about what they’re doing because it’s so instant now. They’ve done it without realizing what they have done.”

The legal ramifications of “sexting” can be serious, depending on the ages of those involved. For example, an 18-year-old with photos of a 15-year-old could face charges of possession of child pornography or distributing child pornography.

Officials at MVHS deal with “sexting” a few ways. “If the photo is of another student or someone that the student would know in the community, then the police would be notified,” Principal Hanevold explained. “If it’s something pornographic from a magazine or a dirty joke, then that’s something we deal with on a campus basis.”

“We can’t control what’s sent to us all the time. If a pornographic photo is sent to a student’s phone, they shouldn’t be alarmed about bringing it to the dean’s office and sharing it with the dean…..Ultimately what happens is the dean will pull up the picture, take a picture with a digital camera and then delete it off that child’s phone and give their phone back. If that picture has been forwarded from that phone, then the police are called immediately and that phone is destroyed,” Hanevold explained. “You take ownership when you choose to forward it to somebody else.”

Officer Johnson suggested that parents make a habit of checking their children’s cell phones and reading their texts. He also recommended checking with cell phone providers to see what services they offer. Mobile Spy (www.mobile-spy.com) and My Mobile Watchdog (www.mymobilewatchdog.com) are just two companies that let parents, for a fee, see all the texts and emails that their children are sending and receiving.

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