SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – Some female Valhalla High School students have been targeted on social media and rated based on their appearances.
“When she told me about it, I saw the language that was being used. How vulgar and disrespectful that was,” said Karina Azez.
Azez was one the first parents to raise the alarm after the discovery of posts Tuesday on an Instagram account that goes by VHS Womens Ratings. Azez’s daughter, who attends nearby Steele Canyon High School, showed her the account. One of her daughter's friends and many other teen girls are being rated by the account based on looks and crude descriptions of their bodies.
The account, which at one point had more than 190 followers, stated in the description that “it will tell you how desirable these women are - so you can make an educated choice on who to be with.”
According to a Grossmont Union High School District statement released to News 8, they're investigating the online behavior:
We do not condone this behavior. We became aware of the social media posts late yesterday and are investigating. The school is in the process of reaching out to the victims and their families to provide them with support.
The principal at Valhalla High School, Mary-Beth Kastan, released this statement:
We wanted to make our Valhalla families aware of inappropriate posts to an Instagram account that rates Valhalla students and teachers. Some of the messages have been posted by Valhalla students about other Valhalla students. These Instagram accounts are NOT school accounts and are NOT managed by the school.
We do not condone this behavior. We became aware of the social media posts late yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) and are investigating.
The school is in the process of reaching out to the victims and their families to provide them with support.
Please speak with your student regarding their personal responsibility to use social media in a responsible manner. You may find Parent Tips for Monitoring Instagram helpful for discussions with your student.
