Data Privacy & Cybersecurity

Administrator in Sexting Case Wins Legal Fees

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo — July 10, 2009 1 min read
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Ting-Yi Oei, who was initially charged for possession of child pornography in a sexting case at Freedom High School in Loudoun County, Va., where he is an administrator, called to update us on his situation. The charges against him were eventually dropped and the county school board voted last month to repay legal expenses—some $167,000—that Oei racked up throughout the ordeal. The charges came after he collected inappropriate cellphone images from a student. He described his ordeal in this audio interview with my colleague Michelle Davis.

I’m sure that Oei has some insights to offer his colleagues in Virginia and across the country as they confront more and more incidents involving students sending inappropriate content electronically. Several education and legal groups have taken up the issue recently, as I outlined in this Ed Week piece, and are urging states and districts to take a close look at their policies on cellphone use in schools.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Digital Education blog.

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