N.Y. district attorney won't prosecute high schoolers over Web site

By The Associated Press

06.16.01

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Two Chappaqua high school boys who allegedly operated an Internet site that listed girls' sexual secrets will not be prosecuted, the Westchester district attorney said on June 13.

"No matter how offensive or how repulsive the communications were between these boys, they are protected by the First Amendment," said District Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

The two Horace Greeley High School seniors, whose names were never made public, were arrested and charged with second-degree aggravated harassment after word about the Web site spread through the school last month. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Chappaqua schools superintendent Donald Parker said he supported the decision. "We've dealt with this and we're intent on putting it behind us as we wrap up the school year," he said.

Parker said the Web site had been shut down and that the two seniors had already been disciplined, though he would not say how. They will be graduating and will be permitted to attend the graduation ceremony, he said. No other students were being disciplined, the superintendent said.

Police said at least 14 other male students had the password to the site, which disclosed alleged sexual exploits, appearance, eating habits, family information, phone numbers and addresses of as many as 40 girls.

"In many cases, there was information put out that was very sensitive, very private and information that caused a lot of anguish," said Detective Sgt. James Carroll of the New Castle police force, which covers Chappaqua. "All of these girls said they felt exploited by it."

Pirro said her decision ends all criminal proceedings, but noted that lawsuits could be filed.

"The fact that there is not a violation of the New York penal law here does not mean that the parents or the school should not take whatever civil actions may be available to them," she said.

A similar Web site was posted this year on which students at prestigious private schools in Manhattan voted for the students they considered the most promiscuous. It was shut down after parents and students complained.

Greeley, which has just over 1,000 students, is a high-achieving school in wealthy Chappaqua, where former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton live.