Walking down the 3rd and 4th floor hallways, students are often found with headphones on looking down at their phones. Apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook have become a regular part of an average Parker student’s day. But not always without incident: Over the last two months Parker has taken action on three reported cases of students using social media in a harmful way, according to the freshmen and sophomore grade heads.

Both the use of racial slurs on apps like Snapchat and Instagram and the spreading of nude images amongst Parker students have been reported. Similarly incidents at Walter Payton College Prep and Whitney M. Young Magnet School have recently occurred in which a group of students from both schools posted racial slurs in a group chat and mocked people with disabilities online, according to the Walter Peyton Principal Timothy Devine.

Typically a problem regarding social media is brought to the attention of Upper School Dean of students Christian Bielizna and Interim Head of the Upper school and Vice Principal, Ruth Jurgensen. According to Jurgensen, students are typically the ones who bring to her an issue regarding social media.

Jurgensen notes that it doesn’t matter if an issue among students happens at school, after school, or even during the weekend. Jurgensen said, “The content warrants the conversation with me not the when it occurred.”

Every Monday during lunch and Thursday afternoon all of the grade heads, Jurgensen, and Bielizna meet up to discuss what’s happening in the student body. “In terms of social media depending on the magnitude of the case,” freshman Grade Head and Upper school English teacher, Cory Zeller said,“it is brought to the eight grade heads, and we will all talk about the case and what we think should be an appropriate punishment.”

These meetings are also an opportunity to develop informal curricula. Sophomore grade head and Upper school History teacher Andrew Bigelow said, “The idea is to get a think tank of teachers to talk about the problem and how we teach the kids about social media.”

Earlier in the fall, the upper school faculty met with the school’s attorney, Jennifer L. Hansen, who talked to them about the law behind student behavior online. “She and I talked a lot this summer about the issues she has faced representing students who don’t even go to Parker,” Jurgensen said. “They found themselves in really hot water because of things that they have sent one another or asked for in terms of inappropriate pictures.”

Jurgensen notes she is excited to provide professional development among the teachers and staff. Issues regarding student’s potential actions and consequences on social media, including cyber bullying and child pornography, were discussed at this meeting. “I really believe knowledge is power,” Jurgensen said. “I don’t want to see any of our students get in any of that kind of trouble.”

According to Bigelow plans for an MX or meeting with the Upper school and the school’s attorney about the legal terms behind actions on the internet are being brainstormed among teachers. Bigelow said, “We really need to have a Morning Ex just to show: ‘here’s what you need to do on social media here what you should not do.’”

As of now, Bielizna does not play a disciplinary role in student life. “We took discipline out of the dean job description this year,” Zeller said. “We felt it’s difficult for someone coming in new to make disciplinary decisions that will be respected, consistent, and followed through on.”

While some students felt that Parker should only step in if their actions affect their school life or those around them, many felt it was not the school’s place or business but rather a personal issue, according to an anonymous survey to the Upper school, with 52 student responses.

“The school does need to be aware about how they bring up these sensitive topics, and we need to be more open to discussion and educating people about issues such as race and gender,” Sophomore Annette Njei said. “That way people will be less inclined to post about these things.”

The school should be responsible, Bigelow said, if students bring problems to their attention. “If a conflict is brought to us, we definitely should act on it,” Bigelow said. “It’s our obligation as a school, but it is not up to us to figure out what kids are doing on social media.”

For some, the focus is on education. “So then it is an education piece, like educating students, educating parents,” Zeller said, “so there is more of a team effort in our community.”