Nude Photos of Ridgewood High Girls Prompt Police Investigation

Police are investigating claims a number of female Ridgewood High School students sent nude photos of themselves to at least one male student, only to find the images posted on the Internet.

Several parents and students told Patch Wednesday that multiple Ridgewood High School girls sent the nude photos using the "Snapchat" application, which destroys photos between 2 and 10 seconds after they're received.

An unidentified male student, expecting the images, took screenshots of the illicit photos and posted an Instagram gallery, multiple people familiar with the situation told Patch.

Ridgewood school administrators became aware of the incidents on Friday and initiated a joint investigation with Ridgewood police. Ridgewood Superintendent Dan Fishbein sent a notice warning parents of the potential dangers.

"These incidents happened off school grounds and are being handled by the police," Fishbein told Patch Wednesday afternoon. "If it is determined that students broke school rules then we would handle that administratively as we do with all student issues."

In a letter sent to parents on Wednesday, Fishbein said police have called for an "amnesty period" for those found to have created, transmitted or possessed any illict images or movies.

Police did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Students who have the images must delete them before the amnesty period ends at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, or face possible prosecution for possessing/distributing child pornography.

"Please be assured that I will always take every appropriate action to protect the safety and well being of our students," Fishbein said in the letter. "The amnesty period gives you an opportunity to educate your children and help protect them. We will be working with our staff to continue to address these issues with our students. Thank you for your assistance with this serious issue."