Principal Impersonated Teen on Facebook to Spy

Louise Losos resigns amid controversy after former student makes claim
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 9, 2012 11:19 AM CDT
Principal Faked Facebook Account to Spy: Student
View of the Facebook homepage taken in Washington on May 6, 2012.   (Getty Images)

A Missouri high school principal resigned last week, one month after she was first accused of impersonating a student on Facebook so she could spy on students and parents online. The profile for "Suzy Harriston" claimed she was from Clayton; many of her 300 Facebook friends were from Clayton High School. But on April 5, a 2011 Clayton grad accused principal Louise Losos of being the actual person behind the account. The account quickly vanished, Losos began a leave of absence, and then later resigned.

The district has released few details, but says the resignation was over "a fundamental dispute concerning the appropriate use of social media." It appears that the situation blew up after another controversy at the school over the firing of a popular football coach. Many students believed the firing was unfair, leading to a demonstration at the high school and a Facebook group supporting the coach. The coach had still been allowed to teach, but on April 4, the school board voted not to renew his contract. The next day, the post accusing Losos appeared on the Facebook group page—after "Harriston" sent friend requests to some of the members of the group. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the whole story. (More Facebook stories.)

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