Beech Grove students face discipline after explicit email - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Two Beech Grove High School students are facing disciplinary action for allegedly sending an explicit photograph through the school's email system.

Principal Steve Cox says the email was sent the day before Christmas break last December and was intended to harass a fellow student at the school. Cox said the email was made to appear as if it was sent by the victim.

The email reached the entire student body. Officials said in a letter to parents explaining the incident that the school had updated the Gmail program the school uses to increase communication between staff and students.

The school worked quickly to shut down the email system and remove the mailing from the inboxes of all the recipients. Cox says given the time the email was sent, it is likely many students never saw it.

School officials notified Beech Grove police of the email, who turned the investigation over to IMPD. Investigators with IMPD's Internet Crime Division were able to identify and trace the IP address where the message originated, then identify the student who sent it.

When confronted, the alleged sender told school officials another student was behind the email.

Cox says both students face discipline - including possible expulsion - from the school, including potential charges stemming from the IMPD investigation.

School officials sent the following email to parents explaining the incident after they were made aware of it:

While updating our Google Gmail software to allow better collaboration between students and staff with the creation of student group email lists, students were able to send emails to all students within these groups. Friday evening at 9:18 a high school student sent a pornographic image through our email to other high school students.

The inappropriate behavior was brought to our attention and we immediately shut down the email service to all students to adjust group settings and to address the misuse of the school email system. Access to student emails was shut down within two hours of the inappropriate email being sent. We are working with the BGPD in the investigation and will determine the appropriate disciplinary action for the inappropriate behavior. The student email service will be activated once BGPD has cleared us to allow access and the email in question has been addressed and cleared from the system.