Hot spots and hot water

Hot spot situation causes principal to release statement

Maddison Robertson, Copy Editor

Tuesday, September 17, 2019, several students alerted administration of hotspots associated with Turner that had a great deal of wildly inappropriate names.

Of these names, there were around 30 or 40 side-by-side hotspots dubbed with hate speech and provocative language that are vastly unsuitable for a schooling environment.

These connections are visible by any visitor in or around the building, e.g.students, teachers, parents, staff, and guests when they attempt to use the wifi. The backlash of these hotspot issues could not just affect the students involved, but rather the reputation of our school and community. Since the scandal, administration has added new technology to be able to decipher which room the WiFi hotspots are being transmitted from.

Immediately following the incident, Principal of Turner High School, Alan Penrose, announced a warning saying that any student who chose to broadcast these hateful messages would be suspended indefinitely or expelled. Adding also, that if the issues were to continue it could jeopardize the student body’s ability to continue using their cell phones in the building. 

“We expect respectful, responsible, and engaged behavior in class and online,” Penrose said. “These messages did not meet those expectations. I think our students are absolutely amazing and inclusive. We just need to keep supporting each other and standing up to negative, harassing behavior. The more people say this isn’t right, the more unlikely it is to happen again. If you know someone who is bullying, harassing, or negative to a student or group of students, please report it. You can come see or email any adult in the building or report it anonymously online.” 

The specific students involved in the scandal were not determined, thus forcing the school to take immediate action in order to prevent another occurrence of said issue. 

“I know this behavior is not what we are as a school,” Penrose said. “I hope we can move forward and not have the actions of a few change our policies for all students.”