Students to start social networking boycott

Students at Commack High School and Commack Middle School plan to start a petition in which students pledge to stop using social networking sites that allow anonymous comments, according to a letter sent to parents by the school district.

"As parents, we need to speak with our children about the dangers of social sites such as these. No matter their age, we need to monitor what they are saying and doing on the computer. It is our responsibility as parents," stated the letter, which is also posted on the school district's Web site.

The move comes a month after Alexis Pilkington of West Islip committed suicide after anonymous messages about her were posted to the social networking site Formspring.me.

The Commack letter also points to ChatRoulette.com as a site to avoid.

Following Pilkington's death, Legis. Jon Cooper proposed new legislation earlier this month that would make harassing, taunting and bullying a minor online a crime in Suffolk County.

Alexis Pilkington was a popular athlete who had already landed a soccer scholarship to college. Photo credit: AP