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Police Are Investigating a Colorado High School Sexting Scandal Involving Hundreds of Students

In Colorado, hundreds of high school students are in the wake of a massive sexting scandal. Some participants are at risk of felony charges.

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At Cañon City High School in Cañon City, Colorado, a sexting scandal has extended past the bounds of the school and, as such, has been turned over to the police.

After receiving an anonymous tip that students were exchanging nude pictures of each other, school officials started to search through students' cell phones that were voluntarily turned in. Since the beginning of the investigation, they have already found hundreds of students that were involved and, according to the school's principal Brett Meuli, "there are more [students involved] we don't know about."

According to CBS News, there are an equal number of boys and girls involved, and some of the participants are believed to still be in the eighth grade. Given that the majority of these students are under 18 and are thus considered a minor under the law, any nude pictures of them are categorized as child pornography—meaning that some of those involved could be facing felony charges.

Parents have been notified and have been urged to check their own children's phones for explicit material. Investigators on the case claim that students were able to hide the nude pictures from their parents by using "photo vault" apps, including one that looks like a calculator.

So far, a number of involved students have been suspended from the school and, since over half of its players were involved, the football team were forced to forfeit their final game of the season.

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