Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Child pornography scandal erupts at Joplin High School

It was a dirty little secret known to only a few Joplin High School students- a Dropbox server containing nude photos of JHS students, mostly girls, some as young as 14.

Only the few who knew the code could access that box and look at its contents, which sources tell the Turner Report contained in the neighborhood of 600 photos, of at least 60 individual students.

This morning, someone revealed that access code and the dirty little secret exploded across the Joplin High School campus in minutes.

Some found the link on their school laptops, others on their cell phones.

They quickly shared it in messages to their friends and in Facebook posts.



Helping to make the messages go viral was information that was soon be shared that many of those who were featured in the Dropbox file were students who were considered to be in the "popular" crowd.

By the end of the day, Joplin High School officials were telling parents that their children's photos had been posted online and had been shared with the entire school. The Joplin Police Department began questioning suspects. Some were unavailable for questioning because they were involved in a school activity in Springfield.

(Note: This post originally indicated that arrests had been made in the case. While students were detained, no arrests have been made at this point.)

Sources tell the Turner Report that one sad consequence of today's revelations has been that the students whose photos were in the Dropbox server, the victims, are being blamed for causing problems for the ones who were arrested.

More to come.

133 comments:

Anonymous said...

How do we find out if our kids photo was in the Dropbox? Could the photos have been taken without their knowledge? If school officials try to cover this up it will be the downfall of Joplin Schools for sure.

Unknown said...

I have become to expect nothing less than the 'blame the victim' attitude from Huff's administration.

Anonymous said...

What have the kids come to

Anonymous said...

This is very sad. I can't believe you are actually throwing Dr. Huff's name in this.

Anonymous said...

Is this is a consequence of "self directed learning" ?
Please bring back some decency to Joplin High School!

Unknown said...

4:56PM
Im sure the schos have contacted or will contact all students involved.

Randy said...

I would like to make it clear that I do not see this as a C. J. Huff problem, I see it as a societal problem. What makes this story important is that it can happen in any school of any size anywhere. It is a nightmare for parents and students.

Anonymous said...

I personally think Dr Huff owes Randy Turner an apology. Smeared his name during the hearing and then for two years. Not once has those accusations become more then that.. Slandarous innuendos that were meant to humiliate and destroy another human being.
Wow! Teachers , IT, and students both have been caught in past two years...

I encourage this new school board to have a zero tolerance for this activity.

Remember Dr Huff, these are Your kids

Anonymous said...

Joplin is just plain ridiculous lol

Anonymous said...

If they took the pictures themselves and knowingly put them out there then I'm not seeing anyone as a victim here. I would be willing to bet that its not just at Joplin either. I bet every school regardless of size has something similar going on.
People need to stop and realize that just bc something bad happens to their child it's not always someone else's fault. Your child can take the blame also. I'm just glad that when I was in school we didn't have cameras so easily available and the Internet wasnt what it is. I wonder how many ppl just doing normal teenager stuff would be labeled as a sexual predator for the rest of their life if this technology would've been available then.

Anonymous said...

The joplin high principles are pervs i know because i graduated from there so i wouldn't be surprised if the teachers and principles have something to do with it

Anonymous said...

Joplin schools suck all the teachers have to know is how to say "just Google it " and boom they are a teacher. And the principles favor students, your nobody unless you have money in their eyes and the male principles are creepy just the way the looked at us girls and cantwell was to fake and two faced

Anonymous said...

All the reason to go back to books and not computers

Anonymous said...

These kids post nude pics its a home problem shut up calling cj huff out and calling principal a pervert..Watch what your kids are doing..

Anonymous said...

I would expect nothing less from the 4th worst city in the US to live in according to 5 out of 10 studies and magazines.I really hate knowing my ex wife is brought my kids to the trashiest town in the US

Anonymous said...

If the girls took pictures of themselves they should be prosecuted for production of child porn. Send the skanks to jail!

Anonymous said...

You guys are absolutely ridiculous if you think the admin was involved in this or the teachers. You guys have nothing better to do than bitch about everything. These girls took the pictures and knew what they were doing. This had nothing to do with the staff or admin. If your head wan't so far up your butt maybe you could see this but you have dirty vision.

Anonymous said...

You can not possibly take e a picture of someone nude without their knowledge. XD.

Anonymous said...

Students shouldn't be taking nude selfies anyway. It's trashy.

Anonymous said...

I agree. I don't see why the kids who are 18 need to have their lives ruined over something that all those kids were involved in. Not to mention, these kids need to realize that they can't even sneeze nowadays without someone knowing about it so why take pictures of yourself or expose yourself to the opportunity of someone else being able to take them. I believe their may be done innocent victims here but I'm sure a majority of them knew what they were getting themselves into.

Anonymous said...

low test scores, overspending/poor audit, political posturing, high turnover, loss of accredidation support for a TIF, loss of institutional control with a scandal that may gain national attention, its time for new leadership.

Anonymous said...

So you and no one you know has ever passed out drunk at a party? Or had your drink drugged? There are lots of bad things that can happen when alcohol and drugs are involved. Teens aren't immune to bad things happening and I speak from past experience.

Anonymous said...

If your kids pictures were in the dropbox the school would of contacted you. And the pictures were ones that girls sent to a guy and the guy shared it to their friends. No pictures were taken without the girls knowledge

Anonymous said...

Randy do you have copys of the books from the tornadoes years ago in joplin?

Anonymous said...

Seriously, its not just Joplin, its everywhere. And it goes on every day. This and much worse. Its society, its parents, its what this world has come to. Hope for the best, prepare for the worse because its coming. You want help and want to right these wrongs.....bring GOD back into our schools. You are fools to think you can do this without Him.

Anonymous said...

Hes a shity school administrator jhs is one of the most drug ritled porn hosting, troubled kid having school in America kids can literally walk out the front doors and rigth back in them without a word said to them by anyone in authority. Most of the teachers and administrators are vivid drug users i have witnessed multiple teachers par take in illegal drugs rigth in the parking lot and dont care enough about the students to make them do any work. Thats why everyone is failinh

Anonymous said...

That is absolutely the most ridiculous thing posted which shows your immaturity lever

Anonymous said...

This is NOT surprising to me. As a former substitute teacher, students at the high school are able to access ANY website they want to while on campus. There are no restrictions online. One student was on Youtube watching overweight, nude people dancing when I demanded for her to shut her laptop. I asked why there are no blocks on the system, and she said because the school doesn't require it, and students need to be able to access online textbooks. Other students were on Facebook, playing online video games with other students in the class----I was absolutely shocked. I've never seen anything like it.

Anonymous said...

5:28....I agree, but there will NEVER be an apology. He dug a deep hole. Also, one other mistake he made was he did not recognize that Randy is an investigative reporter who would not be intimidated by slurs and innuendos. Huff's people could have spent their time more wisely by getting on top of the real sexual activities at the school.

Anonymous said...

Well said. Moral and values are parents responsibility

Anonymous said...

Parents need to be more vigilant of their children's social networking and demand access to their accounts and monitor what is being done and said on their children's accounts. It's not a matter of trusting your child as much as your child's safety and reputation.

Anonymous said...

Nicely said

Unknown said...

Why isn't this being reported anywhere else? No names? No sources? And seriously people? Judging the admin for this, how ridiculous are you? This is about it children, peer pressure and lack of guidance.....

Anonymous said...

If a child posts nude photos of themselves, they can be charged with distributing child pornography. It's happened before.

Anonymous said...

Everyone needs to calm down until there are more facts. Please note that the headline says the story "erupted at Joplin High School." It in no way says it originated there. The teachers and principals are not a part of this story other than that they must clean up a mess that started in the privacy of people's homes, and more than likely on their children's phones. It is only a school issue because of the fact that students are involved and the story broke at school.

You can blame a lot of things on the Huff administration, but this is one issue that started in your homes, not the schools. Look toward your families and make sure it is not your children, and have an open and honest discussion with them about the consequences of these pictures. Those who say this is not just a Joplin problem are correct. It's a problem caused by too much access to technology without enough supervision.

Jon said...

Two quick points I would like to make:
First, I commend Randy for stating the fact that this is not a Huff related issue. Blaming CJ for what others have done, when he's not even remotely related, shows integrity.The beef between the two aside for journalism sake.

Second, why immediately blame the teachers and administrators for something they may have not even known about. Students took the pictures, students put said picture into the file, and students accessed said file. No mention of teachers there. Stop accusing already overworked, underpaid staff for something they had nothing to do with.

Btw, it's principals, not principles. Principles are something you're lacking!

Anonymous said...

So right about your a nobody unless you are perseved as having money. Sad to say but I bet these girls knew what they were doing but thought the pictures would never get out. They should all get some kind of punishment so many kids whose lives are basically ruined today. So sad . welcome to Joplin public schools. The whole town is a sad place to live. If you don't have money or a job that percieves that you have stature you are a nobody in this town. Great job Joplin. What a great example for our children. If your somebody the kids have seen that you get a slap in the hand then shoved under the rug and you never hear about it again .

Anonymous said...

I am counting at least 84 lives potentially ruined- the 60 girls who had their photos spread way beyond the intended person as well as at least 24 18 year olds who will be tried as adults and be branded as sex offenders for the rest of their lives. Plus, the additional students away on the school activity- this is mind-boggling. I hope the prosecutor uses some of that discretion that they are granted in determining whether to actually make 24+ young men lifelong registered sex offenders over some high school idiotic behavior, and I hope the young ladies will be okay, as I'm sure they are all going through hell in the halls.

Anonymous said...

Parents: the way our children behave falls on us, the parents. Stop blaming the school for everything. IF my child was involved in this, I would have no sympathy. If these girls send naked photos out, it's on them. If the people they send them to distribute said photos, they need to suffer a consequence. Good grief!! This has NOTHING to do with the administration or what qualifies a person to be a teacher. This is about kids taking naked photos of themselves, sending them to one or a select few, and the one or select few distributing. They have to learn what is and what is not acceptable behavior. And to the person who said the school better not try to cover this up........really? It's all over social media, genius. Just a guess, but I really don't know how it could be "covered up" at this point.

Anonymous said...

The kids are told when they get their computers to remember that they can be found guilty of distribution of child pornography when sharing photos of underage kids, no matter what technology they use. These kids know that. They were told. Is it fair? Maybe not. But don't let them say they didn't know ahead of time. It's called consequences. Most of them aren't very familiar with that term. Perhaps they should have had consequences before this at home and at school. I recommend good lawyers for them. They must deal with the mess they have made.

Unknown said...

for all the Joplin haters, move if you don't like it. for all the teacher/staff haters, take your kids out of public school and put them in private school. At the end of the day this is terrible for all people involved or not. take this time to teach you children how to be better at live and make better choices. This applies to all.

Unknown said...

The town is not the problem. The problem is that parents are not actively monitoring or being involved with their children or their children's social media accounts. We need to remember that these are our children and their behavior has a lot to do with the way they are raised. The girls cannot be seen as victims only because they were actively involved by sending g nude photos. However they did not give whatever boys shared with everyone permission to do so. They should all be punished accordingly and their parents should be held responsible for something as they are the guardian. Remember that these kids, the kids of this society need a lot more parent involvement.

Anonymous said...

It is not true that there are no blocks on the school computers. That is another lie. The issue is that when students leave the school servers at home, they can access what they want. As long as they stay on that server it is difficult for the school to block. So, once again, clean up what happens in your homes. Personally, the district would be wise, in my opinion, to not let those computers leave the building. But, that's not as exciting in the news.

Anonymous said...

Same thing happened at Webb City a few years ago.

Anonymous said...

6:21

You are so full of crap it isn't funny. You have seen nothing of the kind. You are just trying to talk big to impress yourself. I hope it worked. You have impressed no one else. For one thing, if you saw that, why didn't you take pictures? Call the police? You did nothing because you saw nothing. So please, just shut up and slither back under your rock.

Anonymous said...

The problem with leadership is you cant just take credit for the good. If you take credit for reopening Joplin schools on time and go on a paid speaking tour to tell others than you have to take credit when something goes wrong. Thats what leaders do.

Anonymous said...

There really not victims if they are taking pictures of themselfs and sending them to someone.. If they were taking without there knowledge that is another story,,it is not just Joplin it happen in Webb City a year or two ago. They need to let God back into school and parents need to teach there children some moral values.,

Unknown said...

Whore kids? Holy cow where do we fix this issue ? At home at school? Joplin is really going down hill. And it's comments like that that totally proves adults are worse than the kids .

Anonymous said...

If we taught under Sharia Law this would not be a problem. Long live the burka!

Anonymous said...

It's not no one fault but the ones who took the picture and they send to there friends any more 14 year old girls are out party or saying they are going to a friend house and have sex sorry to say but it's really not the parents fault it's just boys pressing the girls and girls pressing the boys we all were teens before but now days it is a lot worse any more it's all about sex if your not sleeping with someone then you are not popular it's sad I blame all kids that were involved the ones that seen it didn't turn it that it was be posting the girls who had the picture takin and the other boys and girls that shared to be seen even more....

Anonymous said...

I feel bad for those that were sent to jail because we all know those girls were the ones that were sending the pictures. These girls know that the boys go around showing off all the nudes they get, but yet they still do it anyway. In my opinion the girls should also be prosecuted for making the child pornography that the others got charged with having.

Anonymous said...

Meant to be directed at the person saying the teachers and students are doing drugs in the parking lot. Why haven't you turned anyone in? If you are so confident in your statement to post it on the internet, but you're too big of a chicken to post your name, are you participating or supplying? You can't expect a change if you can't stand up and play your part by reporting the problems to proper authorities.

Anonymous said...

Teachers say admins focus has been on reducing referrals and graduation rates little else. Problem is some kids dont deserve to graduate based on poor grades, or bad behavior. Maybe If everyone graduates it actually waters down the accomplishment. So was this a direct result of our kids thinking they can do anything and graduate? A direct result of our leaders short sightedness?

Anonymous said...

I am a student at Joplin high school not apart of this nude scandal, and let me tell you, if you do not walk the schools at JHS you have no idea how disgusting kids can get. The girls and boys that are a part of this deserve everything that they are getting. There should be no feeling sorry. If your children can make the adult decision to send naked photos of them self then they can take the adult punishment. If these girls were all adults, you'd for sure want them to get their punishment. What the saddest part is, is the parents whose children are apart of this will blame the school, blame the technology, and anything they can think of. These are YOUR children, remember that. It's horrible that today when I heard of this all I could say was "Welcome to JHS, sex offenders and skanks." Parents, from a student, watch your children.

Anonymous said...

While proxies and SSL extensions are available on chrome, the tech department has blocked a lot of them, as well as tons of websites, and they have ramped up nearly all aspects of it.
However, there are always ways around this, as it goes with most technology. But simply employing the idea that there are no blocks gives no actual valid input, especially since you're a former (therefore no longer aware of current or relevant information) substitute (lacking no accurate source, like the administration, other teachers, or student body themselves).
-a Joplin high senior

Anonymous said...

The female students sent the male students those pictures. If your child's photos ended up in that Dropbox then you would have definitely been contacted. We had police officers, state troopers, and CJ at school today. I do think that the boys who created this are to blame but the girls did send their nude photos to the boys. Women do NOT have to give women that kind of power.

Anonymous said...

We do have blocks but we aren't allowed to block YouTube because we use canvas which is linked to Google which by extent has YouTube and licenses restrict us from blocking it. The techs have tried to solve the problem by putting on safe mode but it's impossible to block everything. Some students have figured out a way around the Facebook block but that doesn't mean we are all delinquents. Don't use the students that don't care as a scapegoat for the fact that we were at the end of our rope after the tornado and had no choice but to use the laptops.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure how this has anything to do with the employees or school board of Joplin Schools.

Dumb kids doing dumb stuff like all kids do.

Anonymous said...

Wow 60 girls thats alot

Anonymous said...

Well said!

Anonymous said...

i just seen a statement from the police department that said some of this information is not accurate...no one has been arrested at this time...so um who we suppose to believe/

Anonymous said...

WOW! My heart breaks for those girls. We are talking 14-18 year old girls who do not always know what they are doing. Guys get them to do stupid stuff. We all have done stupid for people "we love". This problem is not a Joplin problem or schools have technology (more than likely selfies on their own phones). This problem stems from the lack of respect girls have for themselves. These are kids who are now exploited and hurt. Have compassion, my friends.

Anonymous said...

Teachers say admins focus has been on reducing referrals and graduation rates little else. Problem is some kids dont deserve to graduate based on poor grades, or bad behavior. Maybe If everyone graduates it actually waters down the accomplishment. So was this a direct result of our kids thinking they can do anything and graduate? A direct result of our leaders short sightedness?

Anonymous said...

Coming from a young adult and a JHS graduate: the girls sending these pictures are to blame. Is Joplin the most ideal educational system in America? No. Do there need to be more rules enforced? Yes. But the administration is not to be targeted for this incident. This generation is so technologically advanced, if you send out any sort of nude photo, etc, it's out there forever and you can't take it back. If you have a brain in this day and age at all then you know that and you should be smart enough to not put yourself in that situation. Girls need to have a little more respect for themselves in the first place... 14 year old girls sending nude photos? Absolutely ridiculous. Where are the morals and standards.

Anonymous said...

So many clueless people here. This has nothing to do with the restrictions on the laptops at school, it was able to happen because almost every kid at JHS has a smartphone. Please stop blaming school officials and their property for something that was completely client sided (or maybe a better word, nothing affiliated or executed with the schools property). Nonetheless, this is really a terrible event but it's the risk you take by sending these pictures.

Anonymous said...

Send the thugs to Carthage, everyone else does. They are like the trash dump of the four states.

Anonymous said...

I personal got tired of all of the ranting and scrolled to the bottom to comment... I have one thing to say. If we lived in another country, nudity would be normal.. We, as Americans, are so ashamed of the human body that the world comes to this. They all made mistakes, even the "adults", and if all parties involved knew what they were doing, slap their wrist and move on. There are certainly worse things they could have done.

Anonymous said...

If you have to tell kids they can be prosecuted for nude photos of themseleves why give them computers to begin with? I agree that parents should be more involved with their children. But you're looking at a group of kids who have been in this Huff era of learning. There is no repercussions at school!!! For most of their educational careers they have had zero to no consequences. Look at Huffs magical graduation numbers. They're so much better because he sends kids on through. And if a teacher trys to discipline students they are the ones repremended for it. It's a sad state at Joplin High. Unfortunately the child will be the ones who pay the price in the end

Unknown said...

My God, thank you for this reasonable and levelheaded response. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Anonymous said...

Wow. To the person who wrote at 6:21....do your own work, maybe get a dictionary and learn how to spell...it's hard to take you seriously.....coming from a very well educated woman that studied at Joplin High School.

Anonymous said...

Boys pressing girls bull crap i go to high school currently and i know for a fact that there is no pressing on them to send nudes

Anonymous said...

There should be consequences for all involved in any intentional taking and/or sending of material. While I feel bad for those whose photos were leaked this is a natural consequence of taking nude photos. They should probably be registered as sex offenders. I am just not convinced teens are mature enough for the internet.

Anonymous said...

Bull. If the parents could raise their daughters to have self respect and a back bone the ones willing to give their pictures, WOULDN'T. Regardless of whether or not they gave consent- THEY ARE UNDERAGE AND LEGALLY CAN NOT DO SO!

If parents would raise their boys to have respect for others, self control, and morals, this sort of behavior wouldn't happen!

The parents AND kids should be held accountable!

Unknown said...

I think jhs students and teachers should have a good arm wrestling contest and the winner's get free pot and beer for a year!!!

Unknown said...

Failing* @anonymous 6:21 pm

Anonymous said...

Ever heard of peer pressure? Ever heard of older boys manipulating young girls into doing things they know they shouldn't out of fear that he won't like her? It's gone on forever! If this is the case it's the parents fault for not raising their children to be better people/stronger people. It's also the boys fault for being predators!

Anonymous said...

I think some blame needs to be on the parents. I guarantee their children have snapchat and are sending naked pictures.

Unknown said...

Why should the teachers ruin the students fun

Anonymous said...

I am not going to say that a child who give out pictures of themselves are innocent. I am not saying what they did was right. Do I think they should be put as sex offenders no I don't unless they were passed out drunk etc. This isn't just a problem at Joplin high school. This happens all over. These pictures are sent from these girls to boys all the time and boys to girls.. This is a problem period. Thanks to the world of internet. Yes internet is nice but these kids have way to much freedom. We as kids had internet But was nothing like our kids. I wish my children would never seen phones and internet cause there isn't a way to keep the porn, etc off the internet. I pray They find whomever started this and bust there butts but I don't feel this should be a sex offender case and ruin there life's they are kids.

Anonymous said...

True happened at Webb City last year.

Anonymous said...

So kids post pictures of themselves, on their own time, with their own resources. How, exactly, is this the school's fault?

Anonymous said...

6:02

1. Hidden cameras
2. Webcam secretly turned on by R8 tech Official
3. This list could go on....

Karla Hurrell said...

That was out of line! If you were hurt by someone, report it! Otherwise, don't be stupid!

Anonymous said...

Well maybe parents should get their heads out of their butts and start parenting right. Stop this 'oh my kid is a good kid, I trust them to make right choices, they can do whatever they want'. Obviously they don't make good choices and need more supervision. Stop letting them run free. You'd be surprised what your kids do behind your back when your not watching them. My kids were not even allowed to go on unsupervised dates. They were always chaperoned. And remained pure until marriage. Need go back to the old ways parents. A lot parents these days have just gotten down right lazy. If you paid attention to your daughters they wouldn't be sending nude pics to boys. Parents are just as much to blame.

Anonymous said...

Ummm I would just like to say that I went to Joplin Highschool and graduated in 2012 and there are very perverted principles and teachers one principle used to look at my chest every time I asked him something or was sent to his office and I not just saying that so I can "bitch" about something its the truth u can even ask people them self about it..... And maybe those girls took those picture but maybe they didn't that still doesn't give those people who created the website and the code the right to post those pictures if those young girls

Anonymous said...

what a tragedy. Hope all involved will get the support each needs in the days ahead.

Anonymous said...

To all you dumb people who are saying that the parents are responsible and need to control their child on the net good luck retards because kids these days have access to this kinda crap anywhere and everywhere they go and kids taking pics like that is nothing new if anything blame this shit on the internet and technology provided to them

Anonymous said...

I know for a fact that students from middle school through high school are made aware by school counselors, principals, and teachers often, and over and over again, and are informed about the dangers of sharing pictures that should never, ever be shared with anyone, even one person, on, especially, any form of social media. Why did these kids do that? Well, that begs the question about why teenagers take risks, doesn't it? Teenagers take risks, period. It's regrettable but not the fault of any adult who has most assuredly, hopefully, informed them about the consequences of such actions. The blame for this is completely and squarely on the shoulders of the teens who participated in this sordid behavior.

Michelle Ardrey said...

Seriously, what did they expect to happen giving teenagers access laptop computers to take home in which parents have no control of the content that are viewed. My kids are on their laptops most of the eventing. I have no clue as to whether they are doing homework or just surfing the net. I really think think JHS needs to go back to books, pencils and paper.

Anonymous said...

People that are intelligent firm their own opinions by judging the situation and making a decision for themselves. What an ignorant comment.

Anonymous said...

Wow!! I am not in the Joplin district but to read all the replies is sad. Its so much easier to blame teachers and administration than to be a parent and take some responsibility for their child. Parents need to step up and control their children

Anonymous said...

It is very shocking to learn about this issue. I could only imagine how the parents and students affected by this matter are suffering. They are just kids however they all broke a law and if some teachers are to blame as well then they all should go down for it. The right thing to do is punish all of the ones at fault. Staff or students or both. That's on issue! Another issue is yes joplin may be leanant on passing people but it's so let the parents responcibilty on monitoring there kids. You can't just throw an iPhone at them and expect them to act like adults. Kids have it easy today with technology and no one seems to know the value of things anymore. I see more kids on there phones then I see playing out side. Parents talk to your kids. Ground them. Take away there phones and there freedoms and have them earn it. I know some of us want what's best for our child but too much freedom leads to this. Now if there really was staff involved then they should go to prison considering how horribly wrong this is. And I'm sure for the students involved they will probaly get misdemeanors if not more. The more you people let things go the harder it will be to fix the corruption in joplin. It's not solely one persons fault. It's everybodys. Stop pointing fingers and look in the mirror! It's the parents for lack of supeevision. It's the teachers for lack of rules and regulations. It's the students fault because either there to dumb to know any better or they see it in there life and think it's okay to do so. If you want to have a better life for your child then guide them on the right path to do so!

James Wormington said...

Bunch of anonymous people playing the internet gangster. Real mature.

Anonymous said...

None of these kids are victims. I personally know someone who had accessed the dropbox and told me about it. All photos came via snapchat. Every last girl knew what they were doing AND they were aware when their photo was saved via screenshot. They knew what they were doing, it's no ones fault but their own.

Anonymous said...

It isn't a Joplin problem, it's a world problem. Open your eyes.

Anonymous said...

How ignorant

Anonymous said...

Well said Jon!

Anonymous said...

You don't understand why the 18 year olds should have their lives ruined for what all of them were doing? Seriously?

18 = legal age and by all rights should have common sense
Are you the parent of one of the 18 year olds?

RoninHouston said...

Any chance anonymous will ever pass 4th grade "reedin, riten and rithmatic"? Golly gee whittakers Aunt Bee!

Anonymous said...

If the guys are getting punished so should the girls for promoting child porn or even producing it. Can't just be one way.

Anonymous said...

That is the most uneducated statement I have heard all day.

Anonymous said...

It isn't Joplin and religion isn't part of the problem. People have always been and always will be the same. This generation just happened to have a more public outlet for what they will do regardless of technology, etc.

Double D said...

Great perspective, Ms Strovinis!

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with you

Double D said...

Great perspective, Ms Stroginis! Thank you!

Caroline H. said...

Really happy this sort of thing wasn't happening when I was in high school.

Anonymous said...

I have a 16 yo daughter at Joplin. She gets asked on a regular basis by DIFFERENT boys to send them nudes. She does have a bf. We have had MULTIPLE conversations about this. The girls in the photos should be held accountable just as the boys who passed the photos/info along.

Anonymous said...

I would be interested who created the DrobBox account and when. Any good Computer Forensics investigator would be able to determine. Not sure if JPD has the authority to subpeana records from DropBox.
The girls may have made a bad mistake, they will eventually regret - but I am sure they did not think of the consequences. Especially some kids hoarding all the photos as trophies.
We all make mistakes and we grow from them. The kids should not be charged as sex offenders, but instead temporarily lose certain computer/cell rights and/or access. Community service would be good for them and the community.

Anonymous said...

Best comment so far

Anonymous said...

Sure you can take a nude pic of someone without their knowledge, especially on high school. Kids are naked together in the locker room and shower for gym class. Easiest thing in the world to snap a quick pic with your phone. That was a completely reasonable question.

Anonymous said...

Agreed

Anonymous said...

Joplin schools will cover up anything.
My daughter was riding the special education bus and another student riding that bus brought a knife on the bus tridd to stab my daughter and thankfully she had her backpack next to her and the knife hit her laptop and broke the tip off in the laptop. They tried hiding this from us. They said that the fellow student had certin rights because he was special needs well so is my daughter....should she have to ride the bus in fear? They only took the other child off after i threatened to get a lawyer or call the news crew. The next thing i knew they called meback and said he would no longer be riding the bus. One of the principles told me "we can not garantee the saftey of any child".....maybe they should have installed metal dectors with some of the millions of dollars they wasted.

Unknown said...

Prayers for the students involved, wisdom for the authorities, administrators and parents and compassion from the community. My heart breaks for all in this situation even though I do not have a child at this High School, I do have a grandson in the 6th grade here in Joplin and have lived here my entire life.
"God please guide each one to heal this situation."

Anonymous said...

No idea what source you're reading from unless it's the crime in Joplin which stemmed off daytime crime when the population triples but compares it to the living population which is not good statistics. Why not go to east st Louis, south side Chicago, raytown kc, and Detroit and still say it's the 4th worst in the country.

Anonymous said...

I used to work at JHS a long time ago. Back then the asst. principal lost his job for looking at porn while in his office with the blinds and door closed, the girls p.e. and dare teacher was arrested for dealing drugs out of her classroom. The principal at the time should have had sexual harassment charges brought up against him for harassing a few female teachers, including myself. BUT OF COURSE no one believed me on the principal bit. Even though it was seen all through the office at the time when I would be called down to the office for ever little bit. The special education department was so clickish that if you didn't fit in then you were more or less blackballed by John Vaughan and Janet Earl, the director of special education. Of course if you were a Leatherman then you were always ok. The administration at the time never listened it was always covered up. This was s long time ago, the principal also at the time of my first few years always asked an elite few to happy hour with him and the assit. principal. I think it is a typical attitude of administration in the four state area. Kansas is not any better, the cooperative treats their employees terrible unless you are in that crowd.. Dan Dulling the special education director is just like the ones in Missouri.

Anonymous said...

"My angel is the centerfold."

J Giles

Anonymous said...

Randy...The account you wrote here of what happened is different than what the Joplin Globe is reporting. Now I am not sure what really happened.

Anonymous said...

Let's just see how this plays out.

Anonymous said...

To be quite honest, what good is it doing bitching about it on the internet? Cause everybody's suggestions,opinions, and insults are helping? Hahahaa keep it up ...cause everyone is doing such a fantastic job of fixing all of it. You should all give yourselves a pat on the back....marvelous job.

Anonymous said...

Jon Are you a teacher. Must be' you said underpaid staff. Jon every ones underpaid. So quit whining.

Anonymous said...

Turner jumped the gun on this one folks. He trusted his "sources" instead of waiting for the facts from the school and the police department. He also printed innuendos about the "popular" kids. This happens all the time on social media. Instead of waiting for the facts, we rush out and try to "get the scoop." I know firsthand that if you want to "getting the scoop" without the facts can lead to more trouble. Yes, this story is disturbing and something did happen. But let's wait to see what the investigation unfolds before jumping to conclusions.

Anonymous said...

To 7:48, happened in Webb 2012-2013 school year.

Tara Sparlin said...

To any of the young people whose picture was posted at Joplin High School, do not listen to anyone trying to make you feel less than perfect. You are beautiful, and you did nothing wrong for taking those pictures. If they call you trashy just remember they are showing everyone their true colors. Everyone makes mistakes, and if it wasn't a mistake do not let society shame you for being confident or trusting. This scandal says nothing about you, but does speak a mouthful about the people in a community that takes every oppurtunity it gets to bully someone else. Stay confident in yourselves, you are beautiful!!!!!

Unknown said...

It's funny how if someone took a picture of your Facebook that you willingly put up and used it in a magazine any of you saying "well if she didn't want her pictures shown she should have never sent them." Would be freaking out. But if a 14 year old girl send a nude photo to one boy it's her fault if the whole schools see it? F*** u. You're a horrible parent. Hit me up if you need further clarification. As a troubled teen that no longer ever glances in her mothers direction as an adult, I will be more than happy to tell you every thing you're doing wrong. 😘

Anonymous said...

As a parent of a Joplin High School student (girl), none of this surprises me in the least. Many of my daughter's friends got into trouble for sending "nudes", and everybody knows about it. You can monitor Facebook, Twitter, etc. but on the kid's phones, there are numerous apps where they can send pics back and forth and supposedly leave no trace. Except we all know once it's out there, it's out there. I told her a year and a half ago this would come back to bite them in the a## and it did. Thank God she wasn't involved. But I'm not stupid and I watch it closely. Parents are to blame for this, plain and simple!

Kris C said...

There is a lot of blame going on here. However, intention is everything. Even if a girl took a picture of herself and sent it to someone that most likely asked for it, that doesn't mean the next step of sharing the picture is excused. Also, this isn't a single incident, this is over 600 photos systematically collected with the intention of building a base and sharing the password with peers. That action would require some level of sociopathy. The girls deserve punishment as well, but I'm sure being involved is going to provide plenty of shame for the girls even without parental involvement. Those that gathered and shared with the intention of exploiting these girls should be punished severely. Just as some areas are creating revenge porn laws, there should be laws against sharing sensitive pictures without the consent of those pictured. Sexual experimentation among peers is one thing, but methodically collecting these photos and sharing them is definitely another.

Anonymous said...

What does society really expect???? Our children are constantly exposed every day to advertising, tv , magazines showing, promoting something that involves some kind of sexual overtures to it. I personally sick and tired of seeing nude bodies and the advertising that includes this. WAKE UP AND START GETTING INVOLVED WITH YOUR CHILDREN !!!!!! Every time you watch something on tv that promotes this turn it off and give the networks a message. I do not have cable and do not miss it one bit!!!

Nathan H said...

How can the victims not be partially to blame? I don't blame them for the distribution of them, but if they took the picture of themselves then they are at least partially at fault. If the picture didn't exist in the first place then it couldn't have been illegally distributed. It is a totally different story if the pictures were taken without permission. In that case, they truly are victims and cannot be blamed for the actions of others.

Kris C says intention is everything, but the problem is that RSMo 573.037 (Possession of Child Pornography) does not exclude those who take the pictures themselves or those who are also underage. If the picture was considered child pornography as defined by RSMo 573.010 then they should be in just as much trouble as those who were sharing it.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry but whoever said "boys will be boys, rape culture is real" are you serious? What if that was your kid. Your son over 18 looking at this. I think you'd feel different.

Maybe its time to teach some respect to male counterparts. And also self respect to female counterparts. As neither in high school have no idea what respect is.

Sorry but the boys will be boys comment is just wrong. Grown men who do this get serious jail time. I agree the ones over 18 should be charged. I actually disagree with everything else. Every single person should be charged who was involved. They aren't innocent if they sent the nude picture. And they aren't innocent if they shared it with their friends either.

Teach your kids some manners, respect and self respect. Then maybe we wouldn't have this problem.

Anonymous said...

What ever happened to books and pencils and paper? I graduated in 07 from jhs and I have to say that this is really sad to hear about! Though things like this happens, it all falls down to the lack of supervision from the parents and the new technology these days. They need to stick with books and the library. Not laptops because of issues like this. Maybe if the parents would raise your children to be better people they wouldn't have to be so childish to fit in with a crowd. Shoot when I was in school I didn't care about friends. Just getting good grades for college. JROTC was a big help in my life, maybe instead of phones you should be having your child join groups or sports. Things like this will never go away and it falls on the lack of parenting which shows how much joplin has sank in the ground from the affects of the tornado. I am against the laptops in the school systems and I think it's stupid that you need to spend so much money on a school that looks like a hotel. What's the point! Alot of that money could have went to buying better books or even promoting in school activities like the A plus program. I get we all was kids once. But a lot of this is just irresponsible in society now in today's world. And I know I'm no different than the other schmucks posting on here. We are aloud to bent but there's alot of back and fourth on the issue that maybe doesn't even have anything to do with us. I'm sure the ones at fault will be punished. As I'm sure all the parents hit with this are thinking of ways to prevent this from happening again. I believe none of this would be happening if you took the newer technology out of the school system. Because back when we had books, teachers confiscated students phones in class. Teachers may be underpaid but they took that oath. They chose that path. We all do alot of things we don't want to. But as a teacher you chose that path. To help teach students to lead a better life and go out in today's society and make there dreams come true. If there is a faculty problem then get a different faculty. If it's this social networking drama then get rid of the laptops and if it's the students then the parents best be trying to actually act like a parent. The may 2011 tornado ruined Joplin it did but since alot of is still live around here all we can do is make the best of it. I just hope all the people at fault will be punished because this is a harsh charge and very serious no matter how funny and cool they think it was. If it was a 30 yr old man trying to pick up one of your daughters you would all want that guy to go to prison. Why isn't it any different. They all messes up. Punish them all and they can live with it and try and make the best of there lives. And I really hope they all get charged because I've seen the easy way out people have gotten because it saves on paperwork. Well now look. Because everything was easy all you are doing I'd corrupting these kids and the society. It will always fail because no harsh punishments are put to justice. No one will be afraid of there consequences unless there's a true reliable reason to be.

Anonymous said...

The whole situation could have been avoided if every one takes responsibility from parents, teachers and the kids involved. It starts with education these children on self respect for yourself.Plus educating on what happens once these pictures go viral,they never go away and That child predators will sell and look at these pictures for years. That also taking these photo's, sending and possessing these photo's is a felony and could have you charged as a sex offender for the rest of your life. I know parents like to believe "not my kid" or protect them from the unpleasant things and people in society, but the reality is that it does exist and sheltering our children and not educating them is a injustice to everyone.

Anonymous said...

Back when the Internet was in it's infancy a very smart person said to me that it (the Internet) would become the greatest blessing for society as well as the biggest curse. He was right.

This is not just a problem at JHS and it isn't anything that hasn't been done before. Long before computers and the Internet, girls and guys would take nude pictures of themselves or each other with Polaroid cameras (because you couldn't get film of those pictures developed) and then show them to their friends. There was a much smaller audience. It was stupid then and it's stupid now but, let's face it, teenager's brains are not fully developed and they sometimes tend to do stupid things. At the same time, they are very technically savvy, which is where the problem lies.

There was likely a lot of peer pressure for this many people to be involved but, at the end of the day, they were all willing participants. Unless it can be proven that someone was an unwilling participant, I don't think any of them should be labeled sex offenders but there should certainly be punishment enough that they will remember it for a very long time.

We live in the computer age and Joplin Schools has moved away from textbooks, pencils, and paper to laptop computers. It has always been my opinion that there should have been a transition to laptops (as was originally planned) instead of the overnight change for which nobody was prepared. Keep in mind, this change came right after the tornado when everybody was trying to get themselves back up to speed in new buildings where everything was different. That was too much change, too quickly.

Although I don't blame Huff, administrators, principals and teachers for this latest fiasco, I do blame them for allowing students to walk around using their cellphones all day. Cellphones, unlike laptops, are not necessary for their education and should not be turned on inside the buildings. That is one thing administrators can control but, even when that policy existed it wasn't enforced and the students knew it wouldn't be. So the administration is complicit to a degree.

On a different subject, reading through many of the comments on this topic was painful. The bad spelling and grammar is atrocious. The use of homonyms (there, their, they're; to, two, too) is a basic component of English and should have been learned in first or second grade.

Anonymous said...

I just want to say that even if they do not get in trouble they will live with what they have done for the rest of their lives! I have a cousin that did way worse than sending nudes about 10 years ago and that is what she is known for. It is embarrassing and it sticks with you forever! So sad that teens make these mistakes and think people will forget because they dont. I have been out of school for 12 years and to this day I get people that say omg your cousin did this and that at a party and she is a slut.