A middle school teacher from Buffalo Grove, Ill., has been charged with manufacturing child pornography, WGN-TV reports.
Federal authorities arrested John Vastis, 51, who had been a teacher at Meridian Middle School for 19 years. They allege he convinced a 17-year-old boy to take sexually explicit photographs of himself and send them over the Internet. Police reportedly recovered more than 3,200 lines of chat messages between Mr Vastis and the alleged victim.
Mr Vastis is well liked at Meridian, other teachers say, and no connection between the alleged victim and the school was noted in a Chicago Tribune article about the case. However, he has been placed on leave while the matter is investigated, according to reports, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Meridian Middle School, in Aptakisic-Tripp District 102, sent out a tip sheet that advises parents how to talk to children about the case. The FBI also released a tip sheet last month aimed at keeping kids away from predators online. Tips include:
- Only “friend” and connect to people online that you know personally and delete those you do not know personally
- Set social media security settings so that only confirmed friends and connections can see what you are posting
- Never take a picture of yourself or write anything by text, e-mail, or social media that you would not want everyone in the world to see
- Immediately delete and never forward a picture of anyone doing something sexual
- Choose screen names and usernames that are appropriate
- Never post publicly or give anyone your phone number, e-mail address, or home address unless you know them personally
- Be aware that anyone you meet online may not be who they say they are
- Immediately tell a parent or trusted adult if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation online, even if you are afraid that things have already gone too far
