Nearly 40 teenagers involved in a widespread sexting incident in the Rhinelander area will not be facing any criminal charges. Instead, officials with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the Rhinelander School District say they will focus on educating students about the dangers of sending nude photos to anyone.
In a joint press release issued Monday, Superintendent Kelli Jacobi and Oneida County Sheriff Grady Hartman noted that the series of inappropriate cellphone pictures sent by students could have led to felony charges, but Wisconsin law does not have “disciplinary alternatives for such offenses.”
Instead of charges, which would likely be damaging to the students’ futures and prevent them from entering certain occupations, the district is bringing in a Wisconsin Department of Justice special agent to give presentations to the students and parents about the seriousness of taking inappropriate photographs and distributing them on social media.
Jacobi did note that ten students got one-day suspensions, and those violating the school athletic code were suspended for certain events.
WSAU