The principal of Lewiston-Porter Middle School recently suspended several of his male students who passed along a sexually illicit video—created on a cell phone — after school hours.

Principal Vincent Del’Osso investigated the students upon receiving reports of their behavior, Lew-Port Superintendent Chris Roser said, and police were notified.

“Nothing shocks me anymore,” Roser said, “but it’s a disappointment. And it’s disappointing that it keeps happening younger and younger. It’s just as vile and disgusting as it would be for older people.”

It seems the days of passing love notes that say, “Check yes or no” are on the way out, school officials said, and the advent of sexy-texts, or sexting, is posing a new batch of problems for administrators.

“We may not even know what’s going to be available to kids even two years from now,” said Cynthia Bianco, superintendent of Niagara Falls schools. “We have to be vigilant about what’s happening electronically and technologically and adjust our policies and practices accordingly.”

Federal standards require districts to prohibit communications on school computers that amount to sexting and other forms of unacceptable use. Most districts, including Lew-Port, don’t allow students to use their cell phones during school hours.

“Three strikes, you’re out,” said James Spanbauer, principal of Niagara Falls High School.

There, the student’s phone is taken away on a first violation and returned at the end of the school day. After a second violation, only a parent can pick up the phone. If it happens again, the phone is not returned to the parent until the end of the school year.

All Niagara Falls city schools enforce the same policy, Bianco said. When it gets to the third violation, parents can petition her to have the phone returned before the end of the school year. She said that’s only happened once in the past year and a half.

In the aftermath of the Lew-Port incident, Del’Osso invited a representative of the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children to host workshops for parents and students. Topics covered included sexting and cyber-bullying.

niagaranews@buffnews.comnull