Newsgroups: core.advisors,misc.education
Subject: K12Net is endangering our kids!
From: ftoppin@eis.calstate.edu (Frank Topping)
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 11:34:45 GMT
Organization: Calif State Univ/Electronic Information Services

I stopped by the downtown office of CDE the other day to see what comment
I might get from Bill Honig's office on the current state of international
education networking - and in particular, what their opinion might be on
the lack of professional structure of K12Net and the liabilities involved.
 
Coming on the heels of a national FBI conference at the Hyatt on the issues
accompanying minor children's online access it seemed pretty timely.
I'm not coming from a "wild-eyed" radical's posture when I say there is
serious cause for concern here - keeping children from dirty pictures or
prose is hardly my concern at all.  ...I'm more worried about the wholly
undisciplined and seemingly unguided "free form" of the message content
for one thing.  ...there's alot of praise for alcohol to the content of
the messages - has anyone here invited the folks from PrevNet to take a 
look?  ...lots of free contribution about <one or another> God; has that
achieved an ok from the federal level about being "in the schools" yet?
 
What about the unchallenged subtleties in the slurs against femininity &
sometimes race, weight etc.  ...is this structured education?  ...hardly.
Without agreements between responsible educator correspondents and vigorous
review of student input (we do still do that don't we?) arranged for we
are heading for certain disaster in education networking and we're culpably
negligent for problems destined to occur by even displaying K12Net now and
lending an air of respectability to it.  ...culpably negligent and recklessly
exposing the California State College System to the certainty of horrendous
lawsuits if we continue "as is".
 
As the FBI pointed out, NAMBLA and other groups and individuals are out there
poised to spring on our kids.  ...has it been that long ago that the crimes
of "Fast Eddie" etc. have been in the headlines that we've forgotten? 
...or are we getting numb from the blur of all of them?
 
...along with the problems mentioned above K12NET _is not_ wholly educator
based.  ...the reason for the phenomenal growth of K12Net in the beginning
was the openly encouraged proliferation by Jack Crawford among _any and all_
FidoNet BBSs.  K12Net is not only not school based - the traffic is largely
not even handled by educators - nor is the "first interface" to the kids
alleged to be an educator.  ...I'll try to cut the headers down but please
consider these messages just in to CORE off of K12Net.  ...starting with the
child revealing her address and familial situation (the teacher is NOT
policing these) - to the 12 yr. old (another!) whose parents told her to
quit corresponding to someone older attempting to write to her in a supposed
"protected environment".
 
Al Rogers took the lead in responsible networking from California long ago
and "did it right".  FredMail deserves our whole-harted support whereas
K12Net has GOT to be blocked from spreading throughout California
unless CDE has a single hand on the plug as a _minimum_.  Literally, rapes
are occurring from meetings _contrived for the purpose_ across BBS land.

Honig's PAO wasn't too happy about the whole thing - I'm just trying to
help some here avoid possible embarrassment and a professional "black eye".
 
 
Thanks for your time and concern,  ...there are better ways to go.
 

Frank Topping, Sacramento                                (916)455-5154


  ======all messages following came "in" on one day on CORE:=======

From eis.CalState.EDU!nic.csu.net!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!caen!uunet!psgrain!puddle!f83.n3820.z1.fidonet.org!Armando.Guerrero Wed, 30 Sep 92 13:20:06 PST