You may be aware of a cyber incident in which some of our students have been involved pertaining to confidential student information. After reaching out to a few parents individually, I learned that much of the community had become aware of the posts so I thought it would be prudent to reach out to everyone.
As is typically the case, as questionable information metastasizes it is supplemented with distorted and inaccurate facts. Such information is hurtful to both the target(s) as well as to those who jeopardize their integrity by spreading it. My hope is that this communication will alert us to the potential seriousness of using social media as a platform to trumpet such information.
In addition to supporting our culture of honor, please know that as a public school MLWGS abides by The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) which is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. The law thus also applies to school employees such as myself and every member of our team.
Although everyone can google FERPA, I thought I’d provide the link. As you will notice, much of the above paragraph was taken from the website.
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Our school community is exceptional in so many ways; students, families, teachers, staff, partnering school districts, alumni, and others all combine to support one of the great and enduring success stories in the Richmond region. Students, I encourage you to support each other in your educational journey at MLWGS and to never give up trying to do the right things. If you choose to leave your finger/footprints on social media, please do so toward productive ends!
