Schools

UPDATED: T.C. Williams Addresses Facebook Bullying Incident

'Inappropriate and offensive comments' removed

In an e-mail sent Wednesday morning to parents, principal Suzanne Maxey describes the posting of "inappropriate and offensive comments about current students" on the social networking website Facebook.

According to a T.C. Williams student, the Facebook page was called "TC Hoes" and it contained pictures of female students. 

In the note, Maxey says she discussed the matter with students over the public address system both Tuesday and Wednesday to express "the seriousness of this situation."

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In a preamble to the e-mail, Maxey writes that the "Facebook profile page" in question was taken down on Tuesday.

The T.C. Williams resource officer made several attempts to contact the administration at Facebook requesting that the material be removed.

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According to the e-mail, there is no evidence that a T.C. Williams student was the creator of the comments.

A message left to Maxey was not immediately returned on Wednesday morning.

Maxey asks parents to discuss the matter with their children "and encourage them to utilize the social networking sites in a positive and secure manner. Recent news has made us very aware of the painful results of the inappropriate use of the internet and cyber bullying."

Students are issued personal laptops at T.C. Williams to perform schoolwork. The Facebook website is blocked at the school and on all school-issued computers.

However, smart phones and home computers could have been used to post the inappropriate material.

Maxey urges students to report users who post objectionable material by utilizing the "report this user" link on Facebook.


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