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Pocono News Section
Tunkhannock Schools, Principal Sued For Invading Student's Privacy
Tunkhannock Schools, Principal Sued For Invading Student's Privacy - Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 04:08AM EST
Reported by: Joe Holden
Thursday May 20 2010
0/ 5 rating
TUNKHANNOCK, WYOMING COUNTY- In an area recently rocked by negative publicity following a simmering "sexting" investigation where students were unsuccessfully threatened with prosecution for sending explicit photos of themselves, a lawsuit filed Thursday revealed more trouble.
This time, the trouble centers around the supposed unauthorized search of a student's cellphone by a school official.
Tunkhannock Area High School Principal Gregory Ellsworth and the district were named in the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
It's alleged Ellsworth confiscated the plaintiff's cellphone in January, 2009 in the midst of an area "sexting" controversy sparked by former District Attorney George Skumanick.
The lawsuit claims the principal searched the unidentified student's phone and punishing her for storing semi-nude photos of herself.
The cellphone was later turned over to law enforcement and would become an unknown part of the broader "sexting" investigation.
The incident was only revealed through the filing of the lawsuit.
Reached on his cellphone Thursday night, Ellsworth declined to comment, referring the I-Team to district superintendent Michael Healey. District leaders did not return repeat messages left for comment.
Through an ACLU news release, the plaintiff, only identified by the initials "N. N.," said "I was absolutely horrified abd humiliated to learn that school officials, men in the D. A.'s office and police had seen naked pictures of me."
In a meeting with a Wyoming County detective a few days after the cellphone was confiscated, the plaintiff was allegedly told "it was a shame she had not waited until after her 18th birthday in April, 2009, because, instead of getting in trouble, she could have submitted the photographs directly to Playboy."
Skumanick declined to comment on the litigation saying he had yet to see it. | | |
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