CommunityWatch has followed the continuing story of the three teens in Lacey who participated in the extremely ill-advised act of ‘sexting.’
Convicting these children as Registered Sex Offenders would be grossly inappropriate, a complete misuse of the Registry, and is a punishment that far exceeds the severity of the crime. There are instances where ‘sexting’ can meet the severity or purpose of the Registry, but we have read no indication of those details here. There was no coercion, no extreme age difference, no profit. The only ill-intent was standard, deplorable, teen maliciousness.
Child pornography laws were not written to cover this crime. This is clearly an area where law has not caught up with technology, and as responsible adults and care-takers of both children and justice, it is important that Thurston County prosecutors use discretion and compassion to mete out appropriate consequences. Community service is a much more appropriate punishment than the life sentence of exclusion and shame that they’re facing.
We hope that this is a learning moment for teens across Washington, and for parents and care-givers across Washington, that some decisions can be made quickly, and affect your entire life negatively. In the digital age more than ever, we need to think before we act, because you really can never get that digital file back again. There is a great new resource for teens with regard to digital responsibility: A Thin Line, from MTV, is having a very relevant and teen-oriented conversation about sexting, and we encourage teens and tweens to join that conversation. http://www.athinline.org/
We would like share our support and best wishes to the parents of these teens, and to other parents in Lacey, so that the community can move past this in a constructive manner.
Showing posts with label press release. Show all posts
Showing posts with label press release. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Increasing School Safety Legislation in WA
Five days a week in Washington, the law says that kids need to get up and go to school. Many of them have a safe trip, many of them don’t. In some areas, kids walk past gang members who are actively recruiting, selling drugs, and/or soliciting. During tough economic times, gang activity increases.
Well, we’re in tough economic times, and some of the state’s hardest hit areas are suffering from economic trouble and epidemic gang problems. For example: in Mattewa, the Wahluke School District, which has approximately 2,000 students, spends $40,000 a year to bus every single child to and from school, because it has been determined that it is too dangerous for the children to walk.
Two Bills have been introduced to provide local schools and school districts with the tools they need to effectively protect students from gang activity at the community level. Time is running out, however, and if these do not pass, another year will go by with some policies being applied inappropriately, and many children not receiving much-needed protection from predatory gang violence.
Gang Policies in Schools, Senate Bill 6511, and Increasing School Safety Senate Bill 6512
We have been told that this Bill does not have support because these issues are largely taking place in Eastern Washington. We find this very confusing, and want to be sure that the folks in Eastern Washington are aware of this Bills existence, and invite them to speak up.
As a member of the Gangs In Schools Task Force representing the PTA, and as a person who has heard time and again from parents how worried they are for their children and communities, and who has heard from teachers and school staff that they’re sometimes afraid coming and going from school… I have to say that this Bill would serve a valuable purpose.
State-level laws are incredibly difficult to draft, because they need to work for every person in the state. SB 6512 offers a tool to schools across the state, with standards in place, that can be used at the community level. With oversight, to protect freedom of expression and to protect the rights of WA children to receive an education.
Well, we’re in tough economic times, and some of the state’s hardest hit areas are suffering from economic trouble and epidemic gang problems. For example: in Mattewa, the Wahluke School District, which has approximately 2,000 students, spends $40,000 a year to bus every single child to and from school, because it has been determined that it is too dangerous for the children to walk.
Two Bills have been introduced to provide local schools and school districts with the tools they need to effectively protect students from gang activity at the community level. Time is running out, however, and if these do not pass, another year will go by with some policies being applied inappropriately, and many children not receiving much-needed protection from predatory gang violence.
- Until Olympia can figure out how to help these communities end the gang epidemics that many are facing, Olympia needs to make sure that these communities have the tools they need to keep themselves, and their students, safe. Period.
Gang Policies in Schools, Senate Bill 6511, and Increasing School Safety Senate Bill 6512
- were passed out of the Senate K-12 and Early Learning Committee, and have passed to the Senate Rules Committee for second reading.
- Gang Policies in Schools seeks to standardize definitions and policies so that youth across Washington State receive equal and appropriate experiences in school. It can be extremely challenging for many to determine what is gang culture and bad, and what is youth culture, and is simply self-expression. Further, there is currently some inconsistency between actual gang policy definitions in schools and state law. SB 6511 would correct these issues.
- Increasing School Safety is an effort to provide local communities with an effective tool to keep gang members and other predatory criminals away from the area around schools, where these criminals often gather. According to the
We have been told that this Bill does not have support because these issues are largely taking place in Eastern Washington. We find this very confusing, and want to be sure that the folks in Eastern Washington are aware of this Bills existence, and invite them to speak up.
As a member of the Gangs In Schools Task Force representing the PTA, and as a person who has heard time and again from parents how worried they are for their children and communities, and who has heard from teachers and school staff that they’re sometimes afraid coming and going from school… I have to say that this Bill would serve a valuable purpose.
State-level laws are incredibly difficult to draft, because they need to work for every person in the state. SB 6512 offers a tool to schools across the state, with standards in place, that can be used at the community level. With oversight, to protect freedom of expression and to protect the rights of WA children to receive an education.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Washington: Closing the OSPI Safety Center?!
It has come to our attention that OSPI’s School Safety Center’s budget has been cut in both the House and Senate budget proposals.
CommunityWatch is appalled, and would like to know how the Legislature proposes to coordinate the safety and security of thousands of children across the state without this central office.
In Washington, as elsewhere in this country, children are required to attend school. To that end, each morning in Washington, thousands and thousands of kids head out the door and make their way to schools. On their way to and from school, many of our children avoid gang members, child predators, and poorly driven cars.
When they’re at school, they’re required to deal with fire drills and lock-down drills. There’s a law in place addressing whether or not the school will release children to parents/guardians in the event of a disaster. Wow – can you imagine the school not giving you your kid after an earthquake? I can’t.
This is policy ownership at a huge level. They’ve entrusted the schools of Washington with the power of determining whether you should have the care of your child after a natural disaster, but they’re now planning to revoke the budget of the Safety Center that would coordinate the training for disaster recovery. Where does that leave your child should a natural disaster occur?
This is unacceptable, and it’s a waste of money. What the state needs is
-> A central Safety Center education website with current information on crime prevention for predatory crime, gang crime, drugs, and solicitation
-> A state-level safety/security policy center that maintains high standards across the state, and maintains a website clearly stating what those policies are
-> A small group of expert and dedicated people who are able to provide training and support for edge case situations, and to detect trends in safety and security risks
We have this; it’s called the Safety Center. Let’s not get rid of it.
The option is to decentralize the security and safety policies and actions of school districts state-wide, creating inconsistent and (most likely) inequitable experiences for children and communities, duplicating cost, and reducing over-all efficacy.
We are entering a period where economic depression and uncertainty will cause more risks to the children of our State’s schools, and when our schools will need more centralized support for safety and security issues. The Government of Washington requires that our children attend school, and for this reason alone they have the obligation of ensuring the security and safety of our children while they are in school.
Please join with CommunityWatch in asking the members of the House and Senate to leave the Safety Center budget in place.
CommunityWatch is appalled, and would like to know how the Legislature proposes to coordinate the safety and security of thousands of children across the state without this central office.
In Washington, as elsewhere in this country, children are required to attend school. To that end, each morning in Washington, thousands and thousands of kids head out the door and make their way to schools. On their way to and from school, many of our children avoid gang members, child predators, and poorly driven cars.
When they’re at school, they’re required to deal with fire drills and lock-down drills. There’s a law in place addressing whether or not the school will release children to parents/guardians in the event of a disaster. Wow – can you imagine the school not giving you your kid after an earthquake? I can’t.
This is policy ownership at a huge level. They’ve entrusted the schools of Washington with the power of determining whether you should have the care of your child after a natural disaster, but they’re now planning to revoke the budget of the Safety Center that would coordinate the training for disaster recovery. Where does that leave your child should a natural disaster occur?
This is unacceptable, and it’s a waste of money. What the state needs is
-> A central Safety Center education website with current information on crime prevention for predatory crime, gang crime, drugs, and solicitation
-> A state-level safety/security policy center that maintains high standards across the state, and maintains a website clearly stating what those policies are
-> A small group of expert and dedicated people who are able to provide training and support for edge case situations, and to detect trends in safety and security risks
We have this; it’s called the Safety Center. Let’s not get rid of it.
The option is to decentralize the security and safety policies and actions of school districts state-wide, creating inconsistent and (most likely) inequitable experiences for children and communities, duplicating cost, and reducing over-all efficacy.
We are entering a period where economic depression and uncertainty will cause more risks to the children of our State’s schools, and when our schools will need more centralized support for safety and security issues. The Government of Washington requires that our children attend school, and for this reason alone they have the obligation of ensuring the security and safety of our children while they are in school.
Please join with CommunityWatch in asking the members of the House and Senate to leave the Safety Center budget in place.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Safe Child Town Hall - Tacoma
For Immediate Release:
The City of Tacoma is the site of the first Safe Child Town Hall, located at Lincoln High School’s auditorium, is Wednesday, August 20th, at 6:00 pm.
This town hall series is designed to empower communities, parents, and children; to help define and confront real risk head-on, in order to reduce crimes against children and tragedies in our communities. The Safe Child Town Hall series is part of Washington Communities Against Predator’s [Wash-CAP] Safe Child Project, in observance of National Missing Children’s Day. As many of the media know, 67% of all reported Sexual Assaults are committed upon minors: 33% are below 12 years of age. It is the goal of the Safe Child Project to reduce those numbers.
We hope for community members from across Tacoma to attend. Parents, care-givers, concerned adults and teenagers all benefit from learning –proactively- how to safeguard the children within their communities. With knowledge and empowerment, children can be kept safe and secure.
Tacoma Safe Child Town Hall topics will include:
· preventative safety for child and family,
· resources available if your child has been assaulted,
· real statistics on who is a threat to your child and community,
· internet safety
· what is being done to increase the safety of Tacoma’s families & children, and what has been learned in the last year since the tragic loss of Zinna Linnick,
· what kind of oversight Registered Sex Offenders receive,
· Panel Q&A
Participants include:
· Sexual Assault Center of Pierce County
· Safe Streets
· Department of Corrections
· Legislative Youth Advisory Council
· District 27 of the Washington State Legislature
· City of Tacoma, Tacoma TV
· Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital
· Tacoma Police Department
· Tacoma Schools
· Wash-CAP
Please – Attend if you can. Children are welcome. Printed materials will be available from participating organizations, including the Take 25 program from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children [NCMEC].
The City of Tacoma is the site of the first Safe Child Town Hall, located at Lincoln High School’s auditorium, is Wednesday, August 20th, at 6:00 pm.
This town hall series is designed to empower communities, parents, and children; to help define and confront real risk head-on, in order to reduce crimes against children and tragedies in our communities. The Safe Child Town Hall series is part of Washington Communities Against Predator’s [Wash-CAP] Safe Child Project, in observance of National Missing Children’s Day. As many of the media know, 67% of all reported Sexual Assaults are committed upon minors: 33% are below 12 years of age. It is the goal of the Safe Child Project to reduce those numbers.
We hope for community members from across Tacoma to attend. Parents, care-givers, concerned adults and teenagers all benefit from learning –proactively- how to safeguard the children within their communities. With knowledge and empowerment, children can be kept safe and secure.
Tacoma Safe Child Town Hall topics will include:
· preventative safety for child and family,
· resources available if your child has been assaulted,
· real statistics on who is a threat to your child and community,
· internet safety
· what is being done to increase the safety of Tacoma’s families & children, and what has been learned in the last year since the tragic loss of Zinna Linnick,
· what kind of oversight Registered Sex Offenders receive,
· Panel Q&A
Participants include:
· Sexual Assault Center of Pierce County
· Safe Streets
· Department of Corrections
· Legislative Youth Advisory Council
· District 27 of the Washington State Legislature
· City of Tacoma, Tacoma TV
· Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital
· Tacoma Police Department
· Tacoma Schools
· Wash-CAP
Please – Attend if you can. Children are welcome. Printed materials will be available from participating organizations, including the Take 25 program from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children [NCMEC].
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)