Police are investigating the matter for possible crimes
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
The student email system at Burlington High School remained shut down early this week after a nude photo of a student was circulated to all students at the school using the system, according to multiple sources.
City of Burlington police are investigating the matter, which could result in criminal charges for the person who circulated the image, Police Chief Mark Anderson said.
However, Anderson added, depending on what the investigation reveals, the matter may be returned to school officials as a disciplinary issue.
Anderson said last week police have sought search warrants that request information from Google – which hosts the school district’s email system – and Verizon, the mobile service provider from which the offending email or emails was sent.
He said the information obtained from the service providers would likely confirm or refute information investigators have already gathered in the case.
He did not have a time frame for when the information would be available.
Burlington Area School District Superintendent Peter Smet on May 18 informed parents and students via automated phone and email messages that use of the student email system had been suspended for “inappropriate use.”
The message said the staff email system was not affected.
During an interview last week, Smet declined to say whether a nude photo or photos was the cause of the shutdown – a fact confirmed by several students – and referred specific questions regarding the investigation to police.
Smet did say the inappropriate email was sent following a legitimate attempt by an AP statistics class student to gather data for a survey of classmates.
The offending email was then circulated to all students included in the electronic survey by someone who sent it using the “reply all” function.
Smet said administrators and the district’s information technology director are reviewing its procedures and policies regarding mass emails to see if this type of misuse can be prevented.
“We’re redoubling our efforts,” he said. “In this case, unless we shut down email, we’re limited in what we can do.”
Smet originally said he expected the student system to be restored May 24, but he sent an email to students and parents on Friday saying the system remained down and would be restored as soon as possible. He apologized to students and parents for the inconvenience. Smet said he’s heard of some complaints from students who wanted to use the system for legitimate educational purposes during the shutdown period.
He said the issue is part of a relatively recent phenomenon of authorities struggling to stay ahead of rapidly expanding technology and its use – particularly by tech-savvy students.
“This is definitely a sign of the times,” Smet said. “It’s new to law enforcement and schools. The size and scope is overwhelming and laws and statutes have lagged behind.”
Anderson expressed a similar sentiment, saying most police departments must have someone with special training to gather evidence in crimes involving modern electronic technology.
He said a training course recently attended by one of his department’s new detectives included extensive sessions in gathering electronic evidence.
“When I went to evidence collection school that never was a topic,” he said.
Anderson said city police also rely on resources provided by the Racine and Walworth county sheriff’s departments to supplement their own resources in cyber crime cases.
“We’ve entered a whole new area,” he said.
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