School blurs pupils faces on website

[Dos_Box]

What next? We all go to work wearing welders masks so we don't lay eyes on them?

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/7280088.stm

 

School blanks out faces of pupils

A child protection group has criticised a primary school in Essex for blurring the faces of pupils on its website.

 

Cann Hall Primary School, in Clacton-on-Sea, is blanking out children's faces on pictures published on its website "for safety reasons".

 

But the NSPCC said the school "may have gone too far".

 

Headteacher Clare Reece said blurring children's faces underlined warnings the school gave about the potential dangers for youngsters on the internet.

 

She said photographs of school teams and groups were published on the school website but with faces blurred.

 

'Impulse' reaction

 

In recent weeks, because of a "computer glitch", the school also covered the children's heads with cartoon smiley faces, to prevent them from being identified, because blurring them had not been possible.

 

Chris Cloke, the NSPCC's head of child protection awareness, said: "Anyone posting photos of children on the internet needs to carefully consider the risk this poses to children.

 

"However, in this case the impulse to protect children's identity may have gone too far."

 

He said schools and organisations working with children had other options.

 

"Schools and other organisations can take sensible precautions that strike a balance between protection and celebrating children's achievements," he said.

 

"For example, placing photos of children in a password-protected area of their website only accessible by staff and children."

[ICT_GUY]

Saw this.

 

Basically we follow guidelines, such as not putting names and photos together. plus using small pics for the web typically 300 x 225 so that there is no detail for group pics but enough to give an idea what's going on.

 

Now I wonder how many of their kids have pics (and not demure ones at that) and a ton of personal information (enough to track them down) on at least one social network?

[mattx]

I thought April fools day was at least 4 weeks away.....

 

You have the Daily Mail to thank for the pathetic scare mongering c**p it dishes out. It now seems the BBC just love to fuel the fire.

[localzuk]

We do the same thing I'm afraid. We don't allow any photos on of kids on our website without explicit written permission of the parents - something which we never seem to try and get, so therefore the website is empty of photos. And the newsletter that goes home can not have kids names to faces.

 

I have pointed out that it is a bit ridiculous but have been told that it isn't, that we have to do it like that for protection reasons.

[nawbus]

The Telegraph has more info and one of the piccys here

[conehead]

I thought April fools day was at least 4 weeks away.....

 

You have the Daily Mail to thank for the pathetic scare mongering c**p it dishes out. It now seems the BBC just love to fuel the fire.

 

That school web site will no doubt be getting loads of visitors now

 

I think pictures of groups of un-named kids working is fine, but the schools I work with ask for parental consent, and there are always a few worried souls who say no.

 

Can cause a problem when trying to record group events they are involved with.

 

I believe the thinking in schools now is having a split access website, with mainly static content for public viewing, and a password protected site/vle portal with more personal content.

[PEO]

Their the future elite special forces (SAS) lmao

[mattx]

HA HA HA HA love reading some of the comments:

'I wonder what the school yearbook will look like?? At least the children seem to be happy...!'

 

'Why not make them wear burkas?'

 

:D:D:D:D:D

[torledo]

for 'technical glitch' read;

 

webmaster didn't know how to use blur effects in photoshop so cut and pasted smilies instead ....

 

before his mate john from the pub came to his rescue and showed him how.

Edited March 6, 2008 by torledo

[laserblazer]

I'm doing a video Year Book for our Y7 and we have a problem that three sets of parents have refused permission for their child to be photograhed. As the videos include group activities it is almost impossible to exclude these kids, so we have sent a letter to all parents asking for their consent. If they are not prepared to give it, their child's face will be blurred out.