Educators explain why schools so tough on students who engage in questionable behavior

The School Town of Munster is not the first school district to invoke the principle of "in loco parentis" when disciplining students who engage in what it considers unacceptable behavior such as sexting or sending provocative messages through a cellphone or electronic device.

Munster High students to be suspended for sexting

MUNSTER | About a dozen Munster High School students will be suspended for sexting at school Friday.

Suit filed over jail hanging claims medication denied

VALPARAISO | Survivors of an inmate who hanged himself at the Porter County Jail have filed suit accusing the sheriff and warden of denying the man his antidepressants.

Schools wrestle with teens and social media

As tweens and young adults navigate the world of social media, educators and parents want them to be responsible and safe. But just what that means and how to achieve it has become complicated, reflecting an increasingly complex social landscape.

Official: Female sex offenders not the norm

VALPARAISO | Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Polarek said it is still unusual to see girls accused of carrying out the violent type of sexual offense that surfaced this week in Valparaiso.

House rewrites child porn revision to exempt sexting

INDIANAPOLIS | Younger Hoosiers may no longer face child pornography charges for sending each other sexually explicit photographs of themselves via cellular phone, a practice known as sexting.

Lawmakers go ape with new laws

SPRINGFIELD | Although Illinois lawmakers were unable to agree on a plan to extricate the state from its financial quagmire, they did go bananas in approving a slew of new laws.

Lawmakers challenged by sexting

INDIANAPOLIS | A panel of state lawmakers wrestled Wednesday with questions of what to do about teenagers sending sexually explicit photographs via text message.