Bothell High School Cheerleaders
Bothell High School Cheerleaders – The parents of two cheerleaders at Bothell High School in western Washington are suing the school district for mishandling racy photos of the two cheerleaders.
The Bothell High School cheerleaders took racy cellphone photos of themselves and then “accidentally” sent them to other students, including members of the football team.
In the course of investigating the racy cheerleader photos, the Bothell High School administrators took a good long look at the pics, but the girls parents allege in their lawsuit that they were not properly notified of the incident that led to the cheerleaders suspension from the cheer squad.
One of the photos was taken three years ago, according to court documents. Showing the girl topless, it was sent to her then-boyfriend’s phone in the summer of 2005. Later that summer, the picture accidentally was distributed to other Bothell High students, according to her lawsuit.
The other teen’s photo was taken in June, when she and a fellow cheerleader used their cell phones to each snap photos of themselves naked, according to her lawsuit. Those photos were later accidentally sent to other Bothell High students, though the parents attorney Matthew King said it was unclear how that happened.
Shortly after the June photos were taken, school officials heard rumors the pictures were circulating among students, particularly football players. They sent a letter to all cheerleaders’ parents, warning that if inappropriate photos were found, it could result in suspension from the squad.
Football players were told to delete the pictures from their cell phones if they received them, according to the lawsuits.
In August, school administrators received copies of both photos. The two sides dispute who first contacted police — the school or the girls’ parents — and whether the parents were properly notified of the incident.
Both lawsuits, filed Monday in King County Superior Court, accuse school administrators of violating the girls’ due process rights, needlessly sharing the photos with other school staff members and failing to promptly report the matter to police as possible child pornography.
Attorney Matthew King, who represents both families, said it also was troubling that the teens were punished, but football players and other students at the school who sent or received the texts were not.
“My clients fully realize what they did was stupid,” King said, adding that the girls never intended for the photos to be distributed and have been mortified by the entire incident.
And that’s the latest news on the lawsuit involving racy photos of the Bothell High School cheerleaders.