Reply to the Letter from the Office of Superintendent of the MISD

February 10, 1999

Dr. David Anthony
#1 Duvall Street
McKinney, Texas 75069

I have received your letter of 3 Feb 1999 with much disappointment. I’m alarmed that you would write a letter containing threatening language to a parent without first seeking to understand both sides of the disputed issues.

I will address each issue you iterate in your letter, but first I want you to know that, while it may seem hard to believe, my intentions with the MISD have been for the betterment of all the students. In order to show that I am sincere about this, I have made several changes to my web server, to comply with your requests. These changes are as follows:

Misrepresentation - I have removed all web content associated with the MISD from my web site. Even though I freely and openly created, maintained and offered editorial access to web sites designed by myself for the campuses that did not have a web presence (including the original content of the MISD home site) I have (in compliance with your demands) permanently disabled all the pages. The graphics and other content on those sites are copyrighted materials that I own, and if I discover any of that material on MISD pages, I will inform you of copyright violations.

Access to Inappropriate Materials - While it is most certainly true that there are pages on my business’ web site that are inappropriate for children, it is not my responsibility to shield MISD students from these pages. The district has purchased a license to the Light Span network for just such a purpose, and I know that my site is not accessible through the Light Span network. Students using correctly configured MISD computers should not be able to access my site.

Network Access - I have configured my web server to redirect any request for material from an MISD computer to the Light Span web site. Even if the district’s computers cannot reliably restrict access to web sites you deem unsuitable, I can enforce this request at my own server. I hasten to add that if students can access my site, they can access material that most parents would be greatly alarmed to find on school computers.

I do not understand the motivation of writing the letter you sent me. My personal suspicion is that a disgruntled MISD employee has provided you with exaggerated information, much of which is technically incorrect (see below). I know that in the two years I have actively sought to contribute to the technology of the MISD, I have met with substantial resistance. Most of it appears to be nothing more than discomfort with having a person involved with a technical background whom is beholden to no part of the MISD management. That is the sole reason for my "Not the MISD" page, and I urge you to read it, and to read the articles linked to it.

Now, to address the particulars of your complaint.

You find content on my www.deltos.com site inappropriate for students. I agree. Nonetheless, it is not my responsibility to shield students from this content. If students can "surf" to this site, then there is a serious problem with the deployment of computing resources in the district. Consider what other parents would think of the fact that K-5 students regularly surf to adult-oriented web sites (one teacher recently told me of a child who entered "girls" into a browser and got the adult content of that site on his desktop in a few moments). I am not changing the content of my web site to suit the district’s needs. You have a problem with the technology in your schools, please address it.

The e-mail links on the Neverland site do not reference Mrs. Diana Gulotta. They are URLs (web addresses) to Mrs. Julie Smith and Mrs. Catherine Yannessa, both of whom approved of having their e-mail addresses posted there. What’s more, the e-mail addresses posted are actually aliases on my server, so the actual e-mailbox of the teachers is hidden. I did this to protect the teachers’ e-mail addresses in case unsolicited e-mail database vendors picked up the mail addresses. Mrs. Gulotta’s name does not appear in any manner on that page ¾ you could try it yourself (except that per your demand, the web site is gone).

I do not understand why you think you can restrict my use of Diana Gulotta’s name or e-mail address. She is the PR director for the MISD, and her e-mail address is prominently displayed on the MISD page. Is she or is she not the point of contact for the entire MISD? The very fact that you put this demand in your letter gives me strong reason to suspect that Mrs. Gulotta is one of the persons responsible for the complaint against me. Mrs. Gulotta and I have had some disagreements in the past, and our relationship is almost completely negative. I’d like to point out to you that I have made no effort to contact her in over a year.

I agree that the MISD is not a client of mine and I have removed the reference.

The content on my "Not the MISD" page is of no concern to the MISD. I can state whatever I like there, because it is not the business of the MISD to edit or censure the free speech of any citizen of this nation. There is no contract, implied or explicit, as to the quality or the timeliness of the information on that site.

I have spoken with an attorney, and with an MISD school board member. The consensus is that I have done what I need to satisfy your concerns,

Steven R. Staton

Parent