Mo. Principal Resigns as Investigation Reviews If She Spied by Posing as a Student on Facebook
- Posted on May 7, 2012 at 11:50pm by
Liz Klimas
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Louise Losos (Photo: Facebook via Fox video screenshot)
The principal Clayton High School in Missouri resigned on Friday after accusations launched an investigation into whether she posed as a student on Facebook.
The Kansas City Fox affiliate reports Louise Losos was accused by a Clayton graduate as pretending to be a student named “Suzy Harriston.” As several hundred people — parents and students — friended Harriston, Fox reports she was then able to view their Facebook profiles as well.
Losos/Harriston may have been found out through a group petitioning on the social media site to bring back the former physical education teacher Coach Sam Horrell — whose contract was not renewed after violating a rule when he gave strength training advice to middle schoolers. Fox reports the reason for not renewing his contract one year short of tenure was because the school did not need a third phys. ed. teacher.
The Huffington Post reports former student Chase Hasslet posted on the group’s board that anyone who had friended Harriston “should drop them.” Here’s more from the Huffington Post on what happened from there:
Soon after Haslett’s post, Suzy Harriston disappeared from Facebook, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. One day later, Losos took leave of absence. The weeks between Losos‘ leave of absence and Friday’s resignation were ones of silence from the school board amid investigations, but officials did confirm that no “Suzy Harriston” had been enrolled at the school in the last two years.
Losos had been principal at the high school since 2005 and her resignation takes effect June 30. Losos has not confirmed nor denied posing as Harriston and she hasn’t spoken about whether her resignation was related to the investigation.
(Image: Fox video screenshot)
Watch this local Fox report:
Here are some thoughts from parents and students over the incident:
Clayton parent Andy Brown said Saturday he expects the district’s administration to be “upfront, honest and transparent with all the students, parents and the entire Clayton community.”
High school junior Emma Riley worked on a school district planning committee with Losos. “She was a great principal and she always urged me to do my best as a student.” However Riley said if Losos had posed as a student on Facebook, “I would feel a violation of trust.”
Richard Nuell, whose daughter attends Clayton’s middle school, suggested parents and teachers should create some “bylaws” to govern the use of social media by school officials and teachers. If someone from the district had been misleading students by using a false Facebook identity, Nuell said he believed that would be “an invasion of privacy.”
Losing no time to find a replacement, Fox states the school board has named the associate principal as the interim principal for the 2012-2013 school year.
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Beachbaby
Posted on May 9, 2012 at 8:58amShe had to have been able to acess their camera too and spy on them in their beds. My humble opinion is she is a total pervert. DISGUSTING
Report Post »scrapadapolis
Posted on May 9, 2012 at 8:25amOk now we see more problems with social networking.And facebook wants to open stock options?
Report Post »Athinkerinaseaoflibs
Posted on May 9, 2012 at 7:10amMaybe I am just an old FART (Fathers Against Radical Teenagers) but I find nothing wrong with this, assuming that she was not using the assumed identity towards any inappropriate contact or behavior. She is the principal of the high school and she needs to know what is going on in the school she has been given charge of. What if she had discovered information via this approach that would help her be a better principal? I would consider that she was doing her job and she should be applauded and rewarded.
Additionally my children have always known that my wife and I have absolutely no qualms what so ever about searching, investigating or intruding any part of their life. We watch closely as they grow up and investigate (overtly or covertly) as we seem appropriate. If I ever thought my child was involved in drugs, I would immediately have them tested. If in any investigation, we find something about their friends or acquaintance, the next call is to the parents of that friend.
When are we all going to take our job as the adults seriously?
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on May 9, 2012 at 12:05pmIs there a difference between a parent having control over and monitoring their own children – and someone else doing it? What if that someone else is an official of the State?
You don‘t see anything wrong with the government assigning an official to look over your child’s shoulder outside of school? Is it okay if the State didn’t tell her to do it, but she did it out of the “kindness of her heart”?
Man, how do you arrive at that kind of thinking?
Report Post »Athinkerinaseaoflibs
Posted on May 9, 2012 at 12:46pmMaybe I am missing something in the report but there does not appear to be any allegation of sexual deviancy or stalking. I have done a cursory look about the internet and found no such allegations. The video will not play. There was a law broken the barred her from setting up social networks with minors as a school official. If that turns out to be the case, she should be prosecuted but don’t make any allegations that she has some sort of perverted behavior going on.
Report Post »I would also say that the law that she appears to have violated is a stupid law. Principals are in trouble either way. They are expected to keep our children safe, free from bulling and get a quality education but they are not allowed to monitor the situation. She is expected to offer them a “nurturing environment” but be ok with giving children condoms. They are to keep their distances from the students but are tarred and feathered with some kid goes nuts and kill a dozen or so of his classmates. She can’t win.
hidden_lion
Posted on May 9, 2012 at 5:54pmSo, you would be fine is she followed your kid home, and to sports practice, peeking in your child’s window to see what they are up to outside of school? how about if she wears a disguise to do it?
Report Post »Maybe she could just tap the kids cell phone’s to monitor them as well, that way she can know anything they say and what they are doing…..
Her job ends at the property line of the school.
krisiniL
Posted on May 9, 2012 at 12:46amMaybe these kids will come out of this a little smarter. Blindly trusting that anyone is who he/she claims to be online is not only stupid, it’s downright dangerous.
Report Post »keptiva
Posted on May 8, 2012 at 7:53pmThis was going on in a school that my children attended. There were also faculty that gave the principal their log in information so he could spy on students. One teacher, who moved out of state still allows it as far as I know. We home school now. I hope she gets what’s coming to her!!
Report Post »Lordchamp
Posted on May 9, 2012 at 9:10amAnd just what is “coming to her”? Privacy on the internet? Come on. There is NO expectation of privacy on the internet and never should be. IT IS PUBLIC…WIDE OPEN!!! If you want privacy you should not get on ANY social media…PERIOD! Even the term SOCIAL MEDIA indicates it’s public. How can you be “SOCIAL” without being public? Common sense folks.
There is no difference in what she did than if a student had posted a message on a public bulletin board in the school, a library, or any other public location for others to read if all she did was observe.
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