The Letter

The following letter was sent to high school parents by Northport Principal Theresa Oropallo…

Dear Parent or Guardian:

We have entered the Computer Age and although many things in our lives have been simplified because of that, many things have also become more complicated.

I addressed this issue in a newsletter before but obviously, the problem is still here.

We in the schools have been dealing with the backlash from inappropriate use of the internet and web pages. Students have been getting into verbal arguments or even worse, physical arguments because of statements that have been made on the internet. Students have been embarrassed and maligned. One inappropriate site that has come to our attention is Northport.Sevs.

We are pleading with you the parent to monitor your youngster’s use of the internet. In the school we cannot [access] this site because we have a filter on our computer system. Students, however, can access this from their homes and from what we have been told, students are on this a great deal of the time at home.

Online services, such as America Online, offer customization options that allow parents to restrict the activities of their teenagers online. There is also filtering software, available for the Mac and the PC, that can keep youngsters from accessing sites that show violence, drugs, pornography, and hate…

I fully realize that it must be difficult knowing whether your child is doing homework on the computer or talking to friends; however, as I said at the outset — our lives have become more complicated and we must all find ways to handle that. Please keep your youngster off that site.

Also, please speak to your youngster about the basic premise by which we should all live our lives. It is something, we at school are constantly reminding students of and that is that we have to treat everyone with respect and dignity. We have to always put ourselves in the other person’s place and ask ourselves if that is how we would want to be treated. We cannot be a community, especially not a community like Northport… if we cannot understand and follow that basic concept.