KV Students' Pics Uploaded to 'Racy' Web site

Hatboro-Horsham School District and the Horsham Police are investigating how a handful of Keith Valley Middle School students' photos turned up on a Web site, an official told Patch.

"Up to four" students had their photos uploaded - without their permission - to the Web site, which Assistant Superintendent John Nodecker described as being in "no way pornographic," but "racy." 

Nodecker declined to share the name of the Web site and he said he did not know which grades the impacted students were in. According to Nodecker, the Keith Valley students were included on the site, along with a "number" of other area middle schools. Nodecker said "there may be more" Keith Valley students whose photos were uploaded without permission.

The uploaded photos, which Nodecker said students identified as being taken from their Facebook pages, were "definitely not done in the school system," he said.

"It’s important to say at this point we don’t believe any laws have been broken," Nodecker said. "That’s up to the police to determine."

Horsham Police Lt. Jon Clark said the matter is being investigated. 

"This whole Facebook stuff is opening up a whole new world of issues," Clark said. "I don't know how illegal it is."

Regardless, Nodecker said the district, after ensuring that students were safe, notified police because, "we didn't know what else might be out there."

"You can’t take these things lightly," Nodecker said. 

In a communication to parents on Thursday, Keith Valley Assistant Principal Sarah Stout encouraged them to use Facebook's "security settings to protect photographs and profile information."

"At Keith Valley we will continue to reinforce with students the importance of internet safety," Stout wrote in the communication. 

Nodecker said the uploaded photos were brought to the district's attention on Thursday and that he did not know how students were notified that their photos were on the Web site. 

"It just shows the changing world and the role we have to play," Nodecker said. "I hope parents will join us in that effort."