A Waukegan school district has launched an investigation after leadership learned some students had taken pictures of other students using the bathroom and posted the pictures on social media, one mother told NBC 5.
Fear, frustration, anger are still bubbling inside Joanna Figueroa, whose son attends Waukegan Community School District 60.
“I have a lot of negative feelings about all of this,” she said.
Last week, Figueroa said she received a disturbing call from an administrator at Edith Smith Middle School, where her 12-year-old son is in the 6th grade.
“He says a picture was taken of your son while he was using the bathroom,and it was posted on Instagram,” she said. “He says your son is not the only one. I asked him what could you see in the picture? Who did it? When was it? Where is it now?”
While she hasn’t seen the picture, Figueroa worries about what it might show of her son, who has special needs.
“Tuesday, when I got notified, I was told that it was graphic – later that same day, we had a meeting – I was told it shows just his back side. So, I don’t know what is out there – I just want to see it,” she said.
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Figueroa says she met with Waukegan police and also talked to her son about what happened.
Lin McCraw, a trial attorney with more than 30 years of experience, isn't involved in this case, but says the incident is a crime – even though it involves minors.
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“This is a serious crime,” McCraw said. “This is not a joke. This is not something that you ought to do flippantly... This is a situation that could impact the rest of your life.”
Figueroa says her son will finish out the school year at Edith Smith Middle School, then they plan to look for another school for him.
Waukegan Community School District 60 released the following statement to NBC 5 regarding the incident:
"An investigation is being conducted and is ongoing. We have been in touch with law enforcement and DCFS officials as part of the investigation. Upon learning of the inappropriate photos, staff contacted parents of students involved to make them aware of the presence of images. Staff was able to identify students believed to be responsible for the photos, while also working to have the images removed from social media. Student and parent education around positive digital citizenship and the consequences of cyberbullying and the sharing of inappropriate images or videos on social media is also ongoing."
