Opinion
Opinion

Atlanta Forward: Education

Parents expect schools to step in when teens use cellphones for sexting, but is that the school's role?
Parents expect schools to step in when teens use cellphones for sexting, but is that the school's role?
By Maureen Downey
Nov 15, 2015

A sexting scandal in a Colorado high school has parents looking to the school for answers, but should they be looking in the mirror instead? I discuss today whether we expect schools to supervise social media behavior that ought to fall under the control of parents. A retired educator asks why criticisms are heaped on teachers rather than praise, considering what we ask of them. And readers debate the meaning of the significant increase in Georgia’s high school graduation rate announced last week.

About the Author

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.

Follow Maureen Downey on facebookFollow Maureen Downey on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

"Rigid workplace policies do not only affect mothers. Everyone benefits when work cultures recognize people as whole human beings," writes Amanda Forgione (Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg).

Credit: Bloomberg

OPINION

CEOs in Atlanta and beyond: Don’t regress on supporting working mothers.

A positive consequence of COVID is that remote working offered flexibility for working parents, but companies are backtracking and women, especially, are leaving their jobs.

OPINION

If we had ranked choice elections in Georgia, we’d be done voting this year

Georgia voters went to the polls Nov. 4, but many must cast ballots again Dec. 2 for dozens of runoff races. That's why the state should shift to ranked choice voting.

Readers write

AJC readers write about city “connectivity,” and about their connections to a print newspaper.

The Latest

Assistant manager Patrick Raber assists voters in casting their ballots inside the Buckhead Library voting precinct on Nov. 4, 2025 (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

OPINION

If we had ranked choice elections in Georgia, we’d be done voting this year

OPINION

Whether in Congress or at the Thanksgiving table, dialogue can reduce conflict

Readers write

Featured

Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez

‘Worst nightmares come true.’ Atlanta confronts shift in homelessness funding.

Trump’s overhaul threatens permanent housing for an estimated 600 Atlanta households and 170,000 people nationwide, advocates warn.

Microsoft’s newest AI ‘superfactory’ opens at sprawling Fayetteville campus

One of the largest data center campuses under construction in Georgia has its first operational tenant, and it’s one of the most recognizable names in technology.

Atlanta officials quietly rebrand city’s DEI office

The city of Atlanta office overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion is getting a rebrand amid assaults at the federal level on such initiatives.