What has apparently been an open secret at Piedmont High School for several years — the existence of a "Fantasy Slut League" where male varsity athletes amass "points" for sexual activity with female students — became public Friday when the school district issued a notice to parents of PHS students.
The notice, in the form of a letter from PHS Principal Rich Kitchens, said information about the "league" surfaced after the school's annual freshman assembly on date rape prevention in early October.
"It has been reported that students on some of our Varsity Teams have set up a "Fantasy Slut League" in which our female students (unbeknownst to most of them) are drafted as part of the league," Kitchens' letter said. "Male students earn points for documented engagement in sexual activities with female students."
Kitchens wrote that an investigation by PHS staff revealed:
- "General recognition that over the past 5-6 years such a league has existed in one form or another as part of "bonding" for some Varsity Teams during their seasons of sport.
- "Many students (male and female) were aware of it and participated. Male and female students felt pressure to participate and/or lacked confidence to overtly stop it.
- "Participation often involved pressure/manipulation by older students that included alcohol to impair judgment/control and social demands to be popular, feel included and attractive to upper classmen.
- "A commitment from current Varsity Team members that there is none of the activity going on now (at least from this point forward).
- "Fear that participation in the league could have in-school discipline consequences and affect future college acceptance."
School staff "did not get any specific identification of male or female student participants," Kitchens wrote.
"The revelation that students expressed concern that the fallout could result in discipline and affect their college applications suggests an understanding by students that there is something wrong with the 'Fantasy Slut League'," Kitchens said.
"While off-campus activities are not subject to school discipline, because it involves our students it involves us. At this point, because we do not have specifics about participants or victims, our focus is on education and understanding moving forward, not discipline for past activities.
"Our Acting teacher, Kim Taylor, who developed the 'Date Rape Prevention' assembly, is collecting personal stories from a variety of student (and adult) sources to develop a similar type assembly that addresses this issue and other related personal integrity issues.
"Afterward, facilitated structured discussions with students will occur in classes. We are also establishing a new meeting for athletes at the start of each season to address issues of sportsmanship, conduct, and integrity.
"Additionally, we will also discuss a more comprehensive way to address these issues as part of our PHS School Site Council goals."
Kitchens urged parents to talk with their teenagers about the issue.
The complete text of the notice follows:
Important Notice from the Piedmont Unified School District
October 19, 2012
TO PARENTS OF PHS STUDENTS
I am writing to follow up on information that has surfaced recently as part of our annual "Date Rape Prevention" assembly. Every student and many parents at PHS have seen this assembly that grew out of real-life incidents experienced by Piedmont students.
We have recently heard of troubling incidents involving our students that I feel are important to share with all parents. Based on the "fantasy league" game concept, it has been reported that students on some of our Varsity Teams have set up a "Fantasy Slut League" in which our female students (unbeknownst to most of them) are drafted as part of the league. Male students earn points for documented engagement in sexual activities with female students. Although I was surprised and sorry to find out that this concept is not unique to Piedmont High School, it does not deter our responsibilities as an educational community to address it.
The Administrative staff conducted an investigation by interviewing students, parents and staff as to facts about such a league with the interest of identifying individuals involved, including student victims. We did not get any specific identification of male or female student participants. What we did gather prompted me to share information with parents so that you can be partners in reinforcing our mission to develop young people who treat each other with dignity, respect, and courtesy. Our information revealed:
- General recognition that over the past 5-6 years such a league has existed in one form or another as part of "bonding" for some Varsity Teams during their seasons of sport.
- Many students (male and female) were aware of it and participated.
- Male and female students felt pressure to participate and/or lacked confidence to overtly stop it.
- Participation often involved pressure/manipulation by older students that included alcohol to impair judgment/control and social demands to be popular, feel included and attractive to upper classmen.
- A commitment from current Varsity Team members that there is none of the activity going on now (at least from this point forward).
- Fear that participation in the league could have in-school discipline consequences and affect future college acceptance.
The entire Piedmont High School staff joins me in developing activities and conducting discussions to strengthen student integrity and the confidence to act in positive ways. The revelation that students expressed concern that the fallout could result in discipline and affect their college applications suggests an understanding by students that there is something wrong with the "Fantasy Slut League." While off-campus activities are not subject to school discipline, because it involves our students it involves us. At this point, because we do not have specifics about participants or victims, our focus is on education and understanding moving forward, not discipline for past activities.
Our Acting teacher, Kim Taylor, who developed the "Date Rape Prevention" assembly, is collecting personal stories from a variety of student (and adult) sources to develop a similar type assembly that addresses this issue and other related personal integrity issues. Afterward, facilitated structured discussions with students will occur in classes. We are also establishing a new meeting for athletes at the start of each season to address issues of sportsmanship, conduct, and integrity. Additionally, we will also discuss a more comprehensive way to address these issues as part of our PHS School Site Council goals.
What we are asking of parents:
The purpose of alerting parents to this type of activity is to encourage you to talk with your teen. Include allowing your student to share his/her perspective. Encourage your child to understand their personal boundaries and provide strategies how to maintain those boundaries. Support them in taking a stand in the face of activities they know to be wrong. Help them truly understand what respect for their own and opposite gender looks like. Model what you want of them. We will let you know when the assemblies are scheduled so that you can seize the opportunity to continue the dialogue.
You have heard me say "we are all in this together." We have to act in unison to help our students grow and develop into the young men and women we envision. We have an incredible group of students who are going to be tomorrow's leaders. Let us give them all of the support, education and tools they need to become who we know they are.
Please be bold in your conversations with your child. Feel free to contact me, Anne Dolid, Karyn Shipp and/or your child?s counselor if you have any questions or would like additional support. If you discover your child is in distress or has been taken advantage of, please contact the PHS Wellness Center so that we can provide him/her support.
Thank you for working with the Piedmont High School staff in providing the 360 degree support that makes Piedmont a community.
Sincerely,
Rich Kitchens and the PHS Staff
Do you think Piedmont High School is doing enough to address this issue? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Don't miss a day of Piedmont news, opinion and events. Sign up for the Piedmont Patch e-newsletter here.
FYI - e ven if deleted, there are ways to retrieve this list and other information!!
Personally, if some footballer did this to my little girl, there would be some street justice to go along with the legal system.
So what did the administration do? Now we are getting somewhere...
We need facts from ALL sides to figure out exactly what this situation was / is. Maybe there are culpable parents who left liquor cabinets open, or who provided booze. It appears that there are both male and famale students who were active participants, as well as unintented, ignorant victims. I'm told by professional drug rehab counselors that *most* parents don't check their children's Twitter accounts, and they SHOULD. And Facebook. (If they block your access, they are hiding behavior from you, and I would take away the car, iPhone, and everything else. And more.) WHERE is the log? WHERE are the pictures? Personally, if I lived in Piedmont and had young children, I'd move.
The overall point lies in how we decide to look at the FSL. If it is seen as a problem, the responses with be in kind, calling for heads and alienating students from parents. If it is looked at as a reflection of student mentalities and social influences, then appropriate actions can be taken to modify and correct the negative areas. As my father told me many times growing up as I was stomping around the housing refusing to do Mr. James's homework, what kind of attention was I looking for, positive or negative attention? Does Piedmont want to be known for bad parents and wild students or for handling a tough situation with integrity and earnestness.
I would like to emphasize again the fact that this was designed to be a "fantasy" league, similar to fantasy football, or fantasy baseball. Now, let's say I have a fantasy football team. Boy, I sure want to beat my friends- but there really is nothing I can do to make Tom Brady throw for 2 more TDs. The League's rules were designed in the same way, so that the manager of a team could not score points for his own team. If anything, the league prevented sex occurring between a team's manager and a girl on another team, but I don't think that any high schooler would let a game get in the way of their hormones. Before anyone starts accusing students of covering something up (which is not my intention, I am trying to set the record straight and deny the false accusations, while accepting that the league was a bad thing), someone who was actually a part of the environment where this happened would need to step forth, to prove the apparent organized rape by the varsity football team, instead of a bunch of disconnected, some even out-of-town, adults trying to make conjectures from the one email that was sent out.The letter was, I believe, misinformed, and at times incorrect. The only input from people actually involved or who heard about the league are the ones defending it from the sensationalist claims made by many of you who have invaded our community website.
You also show a very important misunderstanding of the League. THE BOYS WERE NOT THE ONES SCORING POINTS. This key issue was mistakenly put into the original email sent out. The girls hooked up with 3rd party males, mostly uninvolved with the league, but any acts that occurred between a manager and a girl on his team DID NOT COUNT. This was not males trying to have the most outrageous kinds of twisted sex possible, it was males organizing the gossip in an immature and misogynistic way. The problem of teenagers going off and having sex, maybe drinking alcohol, and then gossiping about it does not "show off Piedmont in all its white picket fence upper-class splendor," it "shows off" a nationwide trend among teens. Is that articulate enough for you?
Whether it was rape or not, men are inherently very competitive as are some women. With it being a game with a points system there definitely is a competitive spirit to it and a drive to be the best. If it wasn't that big of a deal why would any of the students feel pressured to be involved? That in itself says this was not some unimportant activity that "student" is making it out to be. Lastly, the school is making a huge mistake in their stance on not finding out who the participants are and taking disciplinary action on past actions since this will, undoubtedly, continue. Not only that but now the students know where the school's moral compass sits at and will continue to push the boundaries to see what they can get away with. The trash that is being touted as "reality" tv sure is going far to ensure we have an excellent future with bright future leaders...NOT!