FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Headmasters Get 'Heads-up' on Cyber-Teens 
MISSISSIPPI -- The nuisance of the school-yard bully may never end, but the way 
they go about their work is changing. Often cunning, convincing and scheming, 
the school bully can be counted on to exact his or her insecurities on others 
with insults, threats and intimidation. But today's digitally wired, cyber-hip 
teenagers are finding new ways to torment their peers. Cell phones, computers 
and the internet make the bully's job easier and more pervasive than ever. The 
advent of cell phone based text messaging, instant messenger services and 
on-line communities have empowered today's teens with the ability to make their 
voices heard around the world. 
"The problem doesn't end with the cyber-bully," says J.P. Henry, an intellectual 
property and internet law attorney who represents educational institutions, 
"students often perceive what they say and do on the internet, especially on 
their personal webpages, to be private information shared only among friends. In 
reality, these on-line communities are accessible to anyone." The on-line 
communities Henry refers to are a relatively new phenomenon. Websites like 
MySpace, Xanga and Facebook make it possible for students to create their own 
webpage at no charge and require little or no technical expertise to maintain. 
Students often post a "personal profile" and link their webpage to other 
webpages created by their peers. Problems arise when teens post too much 
personal information, or use their web page to make threats or harass others. 
Enter the Mississippi Private School Association, an organization comprised of 
over 120 private schools and educators throughout the state. This year, the hot 
button issue at their annual administrator's conference was how to address 
cyber-teens and inappropriate uses of digital technology. "There have been 
situations where students have been taunted and teased through text-messaging 
and over the internet. Some schools have had to deal with disparaging 
information being posted in the internet on web pages about their athletic 
opponents" says Tommy Thompson, Headmaster of Madison-Ridgeland Academy. "What 
our students do off-campus is having a measurable impact on their behavior 
on-campus, and we all need to be cognizant of how these new digital technologies 
drive that phenomenon" said David Derrick, President of the MPSA. 
In recent months, students have been expelled, and in some cases prosecuted, as 
a result of materials posted to their personal websites or 'blogs.' Just last 
month two teens from Montgomery County, Washington, were arrested for arson 
after having bragged about the deed on MySpace.com. Henry says that in today's 
post-Columbine environment, educators have no choice but to take threatening or 
incriminating speech seriously. "Students need to be aware that what they may 
intend as a joke, could have serious consequences. Your website is not a 
private, gated community. It's much more like a billboard in Times Square." But 
parents are part of the problem too, says Henry, "Many parents are unaware of 
what technology exists or how their kids are using it. MPSA and educational 
institutions everywhere are developing policies on how to respond to this 
behavior, and parents need to know that if their child behaves inappropriately 
in their use of digital technology of any kind, their school can and will take 
action." 
"This is not a local issue. It's a problem for parents and educators everywhere. 
Today we made great progress in educating ourselves on the law and how to 
responsibly deal with the issues presented by these new communication tools" 
says Derrick. 
The MPSA is a non-profit organization committed to promoting excellence in 
Mississippi private school education. J.P. (Josh) Henry is an attorney at Wells Marble 
& Hurst, PLLC in Jackson, Mississippi. 
Press Contacts: 
Nicole Buchanan 
(601) 605-6951 
NBuchanan@wellsmar.com < mailto:NBuchanan@wellsmar.com > 
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