Neshaminy High School Faces Problems With Anonymous Yik Yak App

Officials at Neshaminy High School are concerned after they discovered this week that “inappropriate comments” about students are being posted on the anonymous Yik Yak app.

Principal Dr. Rob McGee sent an email to parents on Wednesday informing them of the situation. An in-school announcement was also broadcast to students.

“Presently NHS is having difficulties with an internet social media called Yik Yak. The app permits anonymous posts that can be attributed to a person that did not post the comments. An unknown group of people are posting inappropriate comments about NHS students,” McGee said in his email.

The district said in a press release that the comments are believed to have “originated from within the NHS community.”

The app is promoted as a bulletin board to send anonymous messages to other users within a 1.5-mile radius.

Students and parents familiar with the situation told LevittownNow.com some of the comments were sent by “bullies” signing with false names.

McGee urged parents to monitor their children’s smartphones for the app.

“Neshaminy High School currently allows limited student use of smart phones during the school day. Since those phones work off cellular service and not the district internet wireless, their content cannot be blocked,” McGee said. McGee told students their cell phone privileges could be taken away because of the incidents.

District spokesperson Chris Stanley distributed a statement that noted Yik Yak offers a geographic fence that would disable the app in the vicinity of high schools even on cellular services.

Additionally, school officials are working with Middletown Township Police to possibly identify perpetrators through IP addresses and phone billing information,” district officials said.

Middletown Township Chief of Police Joseph Bartorilla said Wednesday evening that none of the comments appeared to be criminal or threatening. He said police had been in communication with school officials.

A Sellersville man was charged recently after he allegedly posted a message threatening school violence. The message implied violence in the Pennridge School District. Police were able to arrest the 19-year-old man and charge him with terroristic threats and harassment by communications, according to The Allentown Morning Call.

The legal page on the Yik Yak app’s website said the company ” may disclose user account information to law enforcement – without a subpoena, court order, or search warrant – in response to a valid emergency when we believe that doing so is necessary to prevent death or serious physical harm to someone.” The information the company may turn over to police include the user’s IP address, GPS coordinates, message timestamps, and the contents of other messages from the user.

Yik Yak was created in 2013 by two college students at Furman University in South Carolina.

Here’s the text of the letter McGee sent to parents:

Good Morning NHS Parents and Staff,

Presently NHS is having difficulties with an internet social media called Yik Yak. The app permits anonymous posts that can be attributed to a person that did not post the comments. An unknown group of people are posting inappropriate comments about NHS students.

Unfortunately, we are not able to connect Yik Yak or block the app because it is an accessed via cellular services, not the school WiFi.

We have been in communication with MTPD as well.

Here is what we collectively can do to resolve the issues:

1. Parents, please check your child’s cell phone this evening. Look for the Yik Yak App and then Click “Me” to see what he/she has posted, if anything.

2. Post can be deleted from Yik Yak if two people flag the post as inappropriate.

a. Click on the Post

b. Click the “Flag” Icon in the upper right corner

c. Click “Yes”

d. Click “OK”

e. Once a second person Flags the post, it will be removed in a few minutes.

Students, administrators, and teachers have been “flagging” posts since early this morning to have them removed.

As we stress to all student at NHS, “Today’s decisions impact tomorrow’s opportunities” and “If you act like an adult, we will treat you like an adult.” Unfortunately, some are not doing this today. If the situation continues, I will have no choice but to impose rules to address the problem that decision will include a prohibition of cell phone use at NHS.

I am asking all parents, staff and students to refocus on pointing NHS in the correct direction again by speaking with the kids.

Staff: We will have an all school meeting via the PA at the start of Period 8 today

Thank you

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/07/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-yik-yak/

Rob McGee, Ph.D.

Principal

Neshaminy High School

215-809-6102