During Wednesday evening's Board of Education meeting, Piedmont Unified School District Superintendent Constance Hubbard criticized media coverage of a so-called "fantasy slut league" at Piedmont High School and defended PHS students as "wonderful kids."
The league's existence became publicly known when PHS Principal Rich Kitchens sent a letter to students' parents Oct. 19 outlining an activity where varsity athletes "drafted" female students — in the manner of a fantasy football league. His letter said, "Male students earn points for documented engagement in sexual activities with female students." He said the school's response would focus on education and understanding, not discipline for past activities.
"The media is seeking to sensationalize this," Hubbard said Wednesday night. "I'm sorry it's become online fodder."
Hubbard also said, "We do need to set the record straight. We have absolutely no information on criminal conduct.
"Good kids can make mistakes," Hubbard said. "We have such a wonderful set of kids — we don't want to taint them."
Parents "absolutely need" to discuss the issue with their children, she said.
Hubbard said she plans to answer all emails received from parents. The district is "working with all the parent groups to move forward," she said.
She did not address questions that have arisen about the accuracy of Kitchens' letter. Several people who wrote letters to the editor or commented on Piedmont Patch articles have said that the league was primarily a vehicle for recording gossip about students' sexual activities, did not involve force or coercion, and did not revolve around athletes having sex with girls they "drafted."
"I appreciate that the administration is focused on helping kids," said Board President Richard (Rick) Raushenbush at the Wednesday meeting. "This wasn't kept a secret, it was brought out into the open."
The issue has received wide media coverage locally, nationally and internationally, with reports in outlets as diverse as KQED's Forum with Michael Krasny to the New York Daily News.
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This was not a "Who is Dating Who" League, or a "Gossip" League: it was a 6-year-running "Fantasy Slut League". Not even "Sex". Why does this smell like more coverup and evasion by the administration?
Does anybody not think Fantasy Slut League as derogatory? Instead all this delusion of harmless, own choice, disappointment at school administration? How can the School Administration even survive under the swell of local denial and blind indignation. Do the Parents really want to be responsible parents? Or is their indignation simply to avoid facing up to the reality of raising future adults and instilling morals.
Yep, you brought up a good point, that being the technological power of an iPhone so that children can watch porn 24/7, anonymously "hook up", sell drugs, and engage in all kinds of wild behavior. And the parents allow it. How many of these wealthy parents will take away the iPhones, and give their kids a basic phone? How many ban their kids from listening to often vulgar rap music? And if they refuse, how many will step up the consequences? I find it amazingly hard to believe that not a single girl or boy was victimized over a 6 year period. This sounds like junior and senior students, maybe even cheerleaders, football and lacrosse players, and a few others, rationalizing their gutteral behavior. BTW, parents: are you aware that even those these children have deleted their Facebook FSLs, that with a court order, you might gain access to them? When they delete them, they are still there for a period of time.
http://blogs.greatschools.org/greatschoolsblog/2012/10/fantasy-slut-leagues-and-test-score-gender-gaps.html