Student Social Media Issue
Spain Park High School 08/31/20
A Message from the Principal
SPHS Parents,
I know that Dr. Murphy sent an email to all of you regarding the Inappropriate Instagram Profiles. In conjunction with the information she gave you, I want to provide you with more specific details about this social media issue and give you resources to educate yourself and have conversations with your student.
We are aware of the recent Instagram accounts such as highschoolteaspill, Spain Park Shade Room, anonymousjaguars, and other variations. These accounts can be and have been very hurtful to students and faculty in the past. If you have not seen these accounts, they contain posts that can be classified as bullying and harassment regarding SPHS students and adults. The administrative team is working diligently to find out who is involved in these accounts' origination and find out who is contributing to these posts. Here are some suggestions for discussing social media use with your children:
- Many students have multiple accounts on the same platform (for example, students typically have TWO Instagram accounts - one for everyone to see, the other "Spam Instagram" account is for only a select few to see). The "Spam Instagram" account is usually the one in which these posts are made.
- In general, Instagram and Snapchat are the two main social media platforms that we see are the most harmful.
- Any account that can operate in anonymity has the potential to be harmful to others.
- Parents should know every social media account that their children use at any given time. Many students have "hidden" accounts.
- Students should not follow these accounts as following them creates an audience.
Resources to help you:
- Compact 2020 is a Shelby County initiative we have worked directly with for several years. See links below from their website:
- Common Sense Media is also a valuable resource for information. Click HERE to view the parent section of their website. The site has tools to help you have this important conversation with your student.
We take this matter very seriously and hope we have your support as we try to protect our students. As always, please contact me should you have any concerns or questions.
Sincerely,
Peter L. Giangrosso
Principal
Spain Park High School
Email: hcsnotices@hoover.k12.al.us
Website: https://www.hoovercityschools.net/sphs
Location: 4700 Jaguar Drive, Birmingham, AL, USA
Phone: 205-439-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpainParkHS/
Twitter: @SpainPark