Las Cruces parents claim school did not take action on inappropriate photos

Editor’s note: This story has been changed to add more details and context.

Two Las Cruces parents say the public school district has taken little to no action to punish students who have shared inappropriate photos of their daughter.

“That’s the school system failing our children,” said Amoreena Provencio. “They’re not paying attention. They’re losing control of this whole entire bullying situation.”

The girl’s parents say the nude images were taken without the teen’s consent and students shared them without her permission while on campus.

“As I understand it, one of the student acquired compromising photos and was showing them to others at school,” said Sam Provencio, the girl’s father. “As far as we can tell, nothing happened to the student. (My daughter) had to sit next to the student for the remainder of the semester,” he said.

“We’re not turning a blind eye,” said Jo Galván, a spokeswoman for the district.

Galván said the school district is aware of the problem, but it’s considerably challenging to prove criminal action on social media.

“It is difficult when there is social media aspects involved with students,” Galván said. “It is so very difficult to prove if things have been erased. How do you see it to have evidence?”

“I feel it’s very damaging,” said Sam Provencio. “At this point in their life, they’re trying to learn how to be adults. They’re trying to learn and grow into who they’re going to be in the future. This bullying gets in the way of that.”

The Provencios say while that much of the bullying happens online on apps like Snapchat, it also extends into the schools.

Galván said even though the Provencios’ daughter was involved in the case, the parents don’t have the right to learn how the district might punish the other students who are involved.

“Unfortunately, she is not entitled to know any other discipline or any other discussions that are held with other students or other families,” Galván said. “I think she needs to rest assured that it was taken seriously.”

However, the parents say school administrators have not made the progress that they should investigating her daughter’s case.

“They don’t take it seriously enough to where they’re keeping an eye on kids who have been reported,” Sam Provencio said.

So much so, the Provencios say, their daughter was again placed in a classroom the following semester with another student who, they say, had also shared the compromising photos.

“How can this happen?” asked Amoreena Provencio. “When we bring it to the schools’ attention, we aren’t being supported.”