DarkWingedAngel
October 10th, 2008, 11:55 AM
Children reported for nude cell-phone photos
Boy, 6, and girl, 11, took photos of each other
By Vanessa Miller (Contact)
Friday, October 10, 2008
Boulder investigators were notified this week about an incident involving two elementary-school children snapping inappropriate pictures of each other with a cell phone, police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said.
Parents of the 6-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl resolved the issue among themselves by agreeing not to let the children play together, but still reported the incident to a YMCA after-school program official. That official told the principal of the Boulder's Eisenhower Elementary School, which both children attend.
It was reported to police as a potential "sexual assault," Huntley said, but detectives are considering it an "incident" at this time.
"At this point, it's just photographs," she said. "It's not clear whether there are allegations that anyone was touched."
According to the police report, Huntley said, the incident happened in June when the children were playing outside one of their homes in Boulder. They took photographs of each other partially or entirely naked on the 11-year-old girl's cell phone, Huntley said.
One of the parents found the pictures, she said.
The YMCA official had a legal obligation to report it to the principal, and the principal was obligated to contact police, Huntley said. Officers have notified the Boulder County Department of Social Services, and detectives will follow up with the agency.
"If it was determined the pictures led to some behavior, we could investigate that," Huntley said.
But, she said, police are limited in their involvement with children under age 10, so the matter probably will be handled by Social Services.
Wendy Ingham, a division manager for Social Services, said she can't discuss details of specific cases but said this incident doesn't appear to involve "abuse or neglect."
Eisenhower Principal Charles Serns said he can't comment about the off-campus incident but said he's noticed more cell phones at school.
Still, he said, there have been "little to no" cellular issues in the classroom or on the bus. The only incident Serns said he recalls happened three years ago when students snapping phone photos on a bus hurt some students' feelings.
Francie Anhut, chief executive officer for Impact on Education -- a nonprofit organization that supports the Boulder Valley School District -- said she believes fewer than 10 percent of elementary-age children in Boulder Valley have cell phones.
"Then it gets really common in middle school," said Anhut, whose seventh-grade daughter first asked for a phone in fifth grade.
When parents do give their children phones, Anhut said, it's imperative they establish rules around when and how they're used. Teens can get in trouble for prank calls, cellular bullying and being a classroom distraction, she said.
They also can get into trouble for the content of their text messages, Anhut said. Students feel more free with the cellular technology to bring up topics and ideas they wouldn't normally talk about with their peers.
"(Text messaging) becomes a safer way to explore things that seem precocious to me," she said. "They have to understand there are consequences for that."
And, with cameras and the Internet now on many phones, parents have more to be concerned about, Anhut said.
"Everything parents worry about, with the Internet and predators and porn sites, is up for grabs," she said.
Boy, 6, and girl, 11, took photos of each other
By Vanessa Miller (Contact)
Friday, October 10, 2008
Boulder investigators were notified this week about an incident involving two elementary-school children snapping inappropriate pictures of each other with a cell phone, police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said.
Parents of the 6-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl resolved the issue among themselves by agreeing not to let the children play together, but still reported the incident to a YMCA after-school program official. That official told the principal of the Boulder's Eisenhower Elementary School, which both children attend.
It was reported to police as a potential "sexual assault," Huntley said, but detectives are considering it an "incident" at this time.
"At this point, it's just photographs," she said. "It's not clear whether there are allegations that anyone was touched."
According to the police report, Huntley said, the incident happened in June when the children were playing outside one of their homes in Boulder. They took photographs of each other partially or entirely naked on the 11-year-old girl's cell phone, Huntley said.
One of the parents found the pictures, she said.
The YMCA official had a legal obligation to report it to the principal, and the principal was obligated to contact police, Huntley said. Officers have notified the Boulder County Department of Social Services, and detectives will follow up with the agency.
"If it was determined the pictures led to some behavior, we could investigate that," Huntley said.
But, she said, police are limited in their involvement with children under age 10, so the matter probably will be handled by Social Services.
Wendy Ingham, a division manager for Social Services, said she can't discuss details of specific cases but said this incident doesn't appear to involve "abuse or neglect."
Eisenhower Principal Charles Serns said he can't comment about the off-campus incident but said he's noticed more cell phones at school.
Still, he said, there have been "little to no" cellular issues in the classroom or on the bus. The only incident Serns said he recalls happened three years ago when students snapping phone photos on a bus hurt some students' feelings.
Francie Anhut, chief executive officer for Impact on Education -- a nonprofit organization that supports the Boulder Valley School District -- said she believes fewer than 10 percent of elementary-age children in Boulder Valley have cell phones.
"Then it gets really common in middle school," said Anhut, whose seventh-grade daughter first asked for a phone in fifth grade.
When parents do give their children phones, Anhut said, it's imperative they establish rules around when and how they're used. Teens can get in trouble for prank calls, cellular bullying and being a classroom distraction, she said.
They also can get into trouble for the content of their text messages, Anhut said. Students feel more free with the cellular technology to bring up topics and ideas they wouldn't normally talk about with their peers.
"(Text messaging) becomes a safer way to explore things that seem precocious to me," she said. "They have to understand there are consequences for that."
And, with cameras and the Internet now on many phones, parents have more to be concerned about, Anhut said.
"Everything parents worry about, with the Internet and predators and porn sites, is up for grabs," she said.