By Bill Huesken ‘14
Students at Saint Ignatius High School can no longer send emails to the entire student body.
Principal Bradesca said that “widespread abuse” of the allschool email privilege led the administration to change the email policy. According to Mr. Bradesca, most schools do not allow students to send messages to the entire network.
“We are trying to teach students the proper discretion in terms of communication,” he said. “Over use of email is too common.”
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“We are trying to teach students the proper discretion in terms of communication,” Bradesca said. “Over use of email is too common.”
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Older students may remember the anarchic flurries of all-school messages seeking lost pencils, gym clothes, sweatshirts, and almost anything else a freshman could conceivably lose at school. Some of the more notorious emails involved attempts to auction parking passes, to sell swords, and to unload a couch that did not match one family’s color scheme. The most recent incident came last year when a freshman attempted to convince the senior class to not participate in Senior Smoke Day. Less than cordial reply-all messages ensued.
Adults on the network likewise face new restrictions on their ability to send mass messages. Society does not use email well, Bradesca said.
“People have the ability to send out their thoughts without thinking them through or talking face to face with others,” he said.
The principal stressed that the policy change is not a punishment, but rather that it is simply not appropriate for every student to be able to send messages to the entire student body.
Students and adults will soon receive a survey regarding school communications.
Currently, leaders of a few students groups are able to send all-school emails. Ms. Thomas forwards most messages regarding clubs and activities, and groups such as St. Michael Company to Support Our Troops and Pre-Med Society have taken this route. Many other organizations have chosen to use just the daily morning announcements to publicize their events, dispensing with the email system entirely.
