LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A distance learning session turns explicit. A local mother saying her son was exposed to pornography and inappropriate content during a virtual physical education class.
It was supposed to be the first day of virtual learning for two kids attending school in the Clark County School District, but it instead turned into a rude surprise during the day.
“There are a couple of students now smoking pot through their bongs. One student had porn on the TV behind him, which was in clear view of his camera," said Jenny, the mother who did not want to release her last name.
She says it happened at the start of a PE class at Sunrise Mountain High School on the first day of school Monday. Her older son saying his PE teacher was not in the virtual session when all of this was going on.
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“I don’t know if the teacher was there in the beginning and then maybe lost connection or was just not in the class, but there was no teacher,” Jenny said.
She says she told her son to log out immediately and tried to call the school but didn’t get an answer immediately. Jenny says she understands schools might be inundated with questions over technology, but she wants to see some accountability.
“These are teenagers taking advantage of a situation where there’s no supervision," she said.
Security expert and consultant Adam Coughran says situations like these are happening nationwide. He says the virtual medium of learning can embolden students to act out.
“Some kids depending on the grade level will feel more courage to do something more inappropriate or maybe take that bet or dare from a friend to do something in the classroom, when in person, they would never have done it,” Coughran said.
He says parents should keep tabs when they can on what their kids are doing in the virtual classroom.
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“See what content they have. Make sure they’re actually paying attention, and also seeing what’s happening. Are they in a breakout room where there’s perhaps inappropriate material?” Coughran said.
For teachers, he says they should make it clear to students to be cautious of sharing class information.
“Things like not sharing the passcode and the meeting information for the classroom, other than with students who are supposed to be there,” Coughran said.
Jenny says she’s now checking in more with her children in their studies. She believes it’s a situation other parents may run into and wants what happened to her son to be a wake-up call.
“Just be cautious. Have some consideration for others and I think that’s the big thing. Respecting consideration," she said.
CCSD says they are looking into the incident and will take appropriate action when needed. It says efforts to increase security are ongoing.
