Seaman H.S. case puts spotlight on sexting, raises widespread issues

Seaman High School journalism students recently turned the spotlight on modern-day sexual harassment.

It's an issue where they find themselves at the center of the storm.

"It's happening everywhere," senior Lauren West said. "It's something that needs to be talked about."

Classmate Kyser Dougan agreed.

"We know it's been going on long before this year," he said.

Law enforcement and school district officials confirm an investigation continues into allegations one or more male Seaman students posted nude photos of female students to the social media site Snapchat. One student told 13 NEWS she was threatened with rape and harm to her family if she didn't comply.

With the case making headlines a week before their deadline, the school newspaper issue two months in the making was abruptly changed to deal with the topic.

West and Dougan, who are the paper's co-editors this year, said it was time to talk openly about what's happening, not just in their community, but nationwide with the 'Me, Too' movement.

West says she knows people who've been asked for suggestive photos.

"People are asking for nude pictures; people are threatening other people, blackmailing," she said. "It's an understanding of what sexual harassment really is and how to report it. Our society has really normalized sexual harassment so (teens) don't know what to do when it's happening."

Dougan said people need to re-think what is acceptable.

"I think there is a significant number of men that do believe it's okay to ask girls for pictures and that it's normal for them to send them just for the heck of it. And that's the real issue - men ask for it, girls are just expected to comply. They blame it on the girls when men shouldn't even ask in the first place," he said.

Dougan and West say adults have not taught teens how to react through no fault of their own. The digital world simply didn't exist when they were coming of age.

"We're really here trying to figure out what to do," West said. "We're the first generation to have to deal with it."

But adults feel the struggle. USD 345 Superintendent Steve Noble and other administrators have come under fire as to whether they responded adequately to students who've come forward with complaints.

"What we don't know is kinda scary," Noble said. "I think we're sort of navigating this online minefield together. I think our students are living there now, they were born into this online environment. The adults are trying to catch up."

Most districts have policies regarding use of district-issued electronic devices, along with sexual harassment and bullying policies, including cyber-bullying. Noble said those policies aren't the sole solution.

"I'm not sure a policy can guide adolescent behavior," he said. "I think where we need to put more of our efforts is less perhaps on policy and more on our practice. Listening to understand, being present with our kids both here at school and away from school."

The process for reporting complaints varies, but usually starts with talking to a school resource officer or school administrators. From there, it can advance to a formal criminal complaint with law enforcement, or a Title IX complaint through the school district.

The Seaman District says the high school has handled four student-to-student sexual harassment complaints this school year, with four more at the middle school. All were handled at the building level. They could not say how many of those resulted in disciplinary action.

They're not alone.

Shawnee Heights Superintendent Marty Stessman says his principals estimate handling about 10 harassment situations a year. He agreed it is an issue everywhere, and schools may need to better track informal reports to get a more accurate picture of what students are dealing with.

The Auburn-Washburn district has also seen incidents. It reports its middle and high school have had three sexual harassment complaints each this year, all handled at the building level.

Topeka Public Schools did not have numbers but acknowledge it's happening. In fact, sexting was among issues raised in the Undercover High docu-series filmed at Highland Park and airing on A&E.

Beyond Topeka, a study published Feb. 26 in JAMA Pediatrics found one in four young people said they'd received sexts, while one in seven admitted sending them. In addition, one in eight young people reports being forwarded a sext without their consent.

Study authors say a particular concern is that relationships between tweens and teens are often short-lived, and they learn the hard lesson that what they thought was private really is not.

"Teens can sometimes assume safety or security is embedded in these apps when it's not," said study co-author Sheri Madigan, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary.

It's more than simply inappropriate behavior. If a complaint involves threats, a photo is forwarded past its initial recipient, or there's coercion - even just asking for a nude photo - it may rise to a criminal level, according to Shawnee Co. Sheriff's Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.

"This issue is becoming more prevalent in all our county schools, including our middle schools," Stallbaumer said.

Shawnee Co. District Attorney Mike Kagay said charges can range from criminal threat and blackmail, to stalking or sexual exploitation.

What can become frustrating for those who've been targeted, though, is that the investigations can be a challenge.

"Simply having the victim come forward to us has been an issue here lately," Stallbaumer explained, saying students or parents often don't want to cause embarrassment.

In addition, the nature of the internet can make a case cross several jurisdictions and piecing together a digital trail can take time.

"A lot of the social media accounts are set up to where they're destroyed or no longer available for law enforcement to investigate," Stallbaumer said.

In the Seaman High School case, Stallbaumer said an initial complaint brought forward in September could not be verified. New information presented in January launched a new investigation. He could not say how much longer it might take, but he advises anyone who receives a harassing or threatening message to immediately take it to a parent, school official or law enforcement.

Beyond taking steps once a person become a target, Stallbaumer says students and parents can take steps to protect themselves up front.

"Having parents or guardians monitor their child's social media accounts and phones, and taking more of a proactive approach," he said, "and education and awareness as to how serious this can be."

Noble agrees.

"Number one is to have our place be safe for our kids - and that supersedes anything else that we need to worry about regarding image or what people might think," he said.

West and Dougan say it's not all on the adults, either.

"People need to know how to protect themselves," Dougan said. "Have your privacy settings on. You shouldn't be accepting just anybody to be your Snapchat friend. You shouldn't be adding anybody whose name pops up."

"It really does start with the students need to report it because until they report it, the adults don't know it's happening," West said. "It's happening everywhere, and we need to be the ones to take this opportunity and make the change."