Connecticut Prison for Kids Teams Up With Fake Justice System, II

For more on the Julie Amero case, here’s an email I recieved with specific permission to reproduce.

The Julie Amero Tragedy

The tragic case of Julie Amero, a substitute teacher who was convicted of “impairing the morals of minor” because pornographic images were visible on a computer in her classroom has riveted the attention of many in the education and computer security community. A new report, written by Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D., Director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, has just been released. This report presents a comprehensive review of the materials related to the case. Among the findings:

* The situation described by Amero is consistent with what is called a “porn trap” or “mouse trap.” When this occurs, the browser is no longer under the control of the user and porn images will simply keep popping up until the computer is turned off.

* Amero had been specifically told not to turn off the computer and probably did not know how. So she turned the computer so that students could not see the images. She could not lock the door when she left the room to get help because she did not have a key.

* Amero went to get help at a break and described the pop-up situation. People who are intentionally accessing inappropriate material do not try to get help. She told the assistant principal after school and described the situation to the principal, Scott Fain, the following day. The school reported the incident to the police just over a week later. Fain did not tell the investigating officer what he knew of Amero¹s activities on that day or her report to him the following day. He withheld information that would have allowed the officer to determine that Amero¹s access was not intentional.

* The computer had inadequate security and the browser would not block pop-ups. The district¹s content filter license had lapsed due to lack of payment. The technology director, Hartz, did not evaluate whether any malware was on the computer or the pattern of sites that appeared in the history log to determine whether the access was intentional or accidental. Hartz also did not tell the investigating officer that the content filter license had lapsed.

* The police computer crimes expert also did not determine whether there was any malware on the computer. He also testified in court that Amero had to intentionally access the sites for them to appear on the logs. This is totally inaccurate.

* Amero¹s response to this situation was far from reckless. Of the approximately 60 students who were in the classroom only10 saw anything. Of those, 6 specifically stated that they tried to look at the computer after being told of the situation by another student. Many students reported that Amero took specific efforts to block their view when she became aware that they were trying to see.

* The situation did not impair the morals of the students. Eight students reported seeing mild erotica. The two students who reported seeing people engaged in sex also reported that there were a bunch of little pictures on the screen. One was a distance from the screen and the other reported that the teacher did not notice him, so he must not have been very close.

* A recent study found that 42% of young people between the ages of 10 and 17 have viewed online pornography, one-third intentionally, two-thirds accidentally. Nine percent of these incidents reportedly occurred at school. There is no research evidence regarding the impact of such viewing.

The full report is available on the Center for Responsible Internet Use web site at http://csriu.org. Also available on this site are Willard¹s recent presentation notes addressing cyber-secure schools and cyberbullying. These presentation notes outline the concerns associated with youth online activity and strategies recommended for schools to address such concerns.

Nancy E. Willard has degrees in special education and law. She taught “at risk” children, practiced computer law, and was an educational technology consultant before focusing her professional attention on issues of youth risk online and effective Internet use management in schools. Nancy frequently conducts workshops for educators. She is expanding her use of Internet technologies to deliver “virtual” presentations and classes. She is the author of two books: Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress (Research Press) and Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Use the Internet Safety and Responsibly (Jossey-Bass).

For more information contact: Nancy Willard at nwillard@csriu.org.

—
Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D.
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
http://csriu.org
http://cyberbully.org
nwillard@csriu.org

And folks wonder why good teachers leave teaching and why it’s hard to maintain a pool of substitutes…

Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, basil’s blog, Pirate’s Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, Stuck On Stupid, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao’s Blog, Conservative Cat, and Conservative Thoughts, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.