Vince Vento ‘21, Peter Lim ‘21
With technology playing such a large role in everyday life, students at EA have expressed concern about the school’s tech policy, especially regarding privacy. One week ago, Mike Letts, Head of Upper School, spoke to the student body regarding this topic. He explained that the Academy follows the strict guidelines set by state legislators: recording or taking a picture of any person without their clear consent in a private institution, such as a school setting, is illegal. Letts said, “If you take a picture of a classmate while they’re in school and post it on social media without their permission, that is breaking state law and is in violation of the EA tech policy.”
However, as modern day technology becomes more and more advanced, students are finding the guidelines harder to follow. Steven Staid ‘20 said, “Every single day you see people taking pictures of others without their consent.” Letts understands the difficulty of adhering to these rules in modern society and said, “I don’t know if kids of this generation are aware of privacy laws and norms, because in this age everyone video tapes and records everything.” A student poll verified Lett’s thoughts with 75% of students saying that they post pictures of others on social media without consent at least once a week.
Safeguarding privacy on the campus is an extremely important goal for Letts. He said, “In this community, we need to follow higher levels of decency, especially at such a high-caliber school. Strive to be better than what we see, because even if we see it from those in office, or from celebrities, or athletes, that doesn’t mean that it’s the kind of behavior that we should be following.”
Social media and gossip have become abundant in today’s society, especially due to celebrities promoting the usage.Will Semmer ‘21 agreed with Letts and explained that “It’s the law, so it should be followed.” Kathleen Mark ‘21 added to Will’s comment and said that “It gives people a sense of security so that they don’t feel like they are being constantly watched.” By striving to treat others with respect and compassion, not just for our classmates, but also for our teachers, Letts believes that the community can create a better learning environment and make the school a better place. “Just because you experience or see something, doesn’t mean you own it or you can share that without asking… Always adhere to the rules of common decency, which means asking someone’s permission, especially something that could be potentially harmful to them.”