Original email sent and unedited response from Mr. Butler:
Dear anonymous citizen - Thanks for your message and questions. I personally do not advocate that anyone use cyber posts such as the "underground" because one never knows who is who and what is real; they also foster the morally vacant opportunity for people of all ages to attack others without personal accountability for their statements Obviously no one at SLHS or at any school in our area advocates that student use instructional time to send blog postings. If you think this issue is unique to SLHS than you are mis-informed. Every high school in FCPS struggles with a set of very bright and tech savvy students that desire to use technology resources for their own interests as opposed to those of their instructors. What kids do while home sick I have little influence over.
You jump to some giant and unfair assumptions regarding what I or our faculty actually condone. Your message tonight is the first I have heard about this concern. Is it possible that several of my 120 teachers told their students (who had finished their work) that they could continue to work on computers? Yes it is. Is it possible that when teachers see kids typing and composing that they may not know that it is in response to a blog question? Yes it is. Is it possible that a very caring and professional teacher would permit a student to respond to a fair question about their school? Yes it is possible, especially in light of the inaccurate and racist invective that has surfaced in the last month from adults that have never set foot in our building. Have I asked students to do so? I never have and never will.
My guess is that the postings are coming from classes that are technology driven in which students spend the entire 90 minute block on a computer.
I truly do not understand your "shame" statements, such a strong condemnation of our kids, my entire faculty, and me personally, does not seem to fit with the students' untimely communication. I do thank you for letting me know that some kids are responding to the blogs at inappropriate times. I will do everything I can to prevent this beginning tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to write, I recommend that you visit our school and spend some time with our teachers and students. Observing our faculty and students will provide you with a much more accurate perception of our daily instructional life as opposed to the generalizations you have drawn from the day time postings of a handful of students. Thanks
Bruce Butler
Principal
South Lakes High School
-----Original Message-----
From:
smoreos@aol.com [mailto:smoreos@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 4:29 PM
To: Butler, Bruce A
Subject:
Dear Sir,
I am wondering if you are aware that you have a number of students who are posting on the Fairfax Underground url throughout the entire school day.
These "students" post under the names of SLHS Contra-Slander, JaZZy Jeff, SL Student N, Emily, JF920, Katy, Leanne, Stephanie, staced (and the list goes on). I invite you to see for yourself by visiting the high school redistricting thread on
http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/. For ease, start at the last page and work backward from there.
These students claim that teachers are encouraging them to do this and that they have the right to do this, especially after they have completed their work at school. Some of these posters also claim "to be sick" and are at home, so they can do whatever they want. That is probably true. But let me ask you, is this what you advocate your students do during the school day?
What are parents to think when teachers and or a principal actually condone this activity during the school hours on school computers?
What are taxpayers to think? What about prospective students and families who have been caught up in this boundary study?
This type of activity completely unravels all of the PR work you and your PTSA have undertaken in an effort to relieve concerns about redistricting. If these activities are in fact those of your students, then shame on them and shame on you. Students should do this on their own time (probably not at home sick) on their own computers. And if these students desire to upkeep their school's reputation (which is the reason they claim they must post during the school day, at teacher's request), I would suggest that this is not the appropriate forum or manner.
If this is indeed your students, please put a stop to this and if you can't then I will ask the FCPS IT department to get involved.
Thank you,
A concerned Fairfax County Citizen and Parent.