A Facebook competition challenging boys in Grades 11 and 12 at a suburban high school to see who can have sex with the most Grade 8 girls has prompted RCMP to have a stern chat with the seniors about the legal implications.
Doug Strachan, a spokesman for the Surrey School District, says officials were alerted earlier this month to the game after finding out about the Facebook posting and talking with students.
There are no known victims, but Strachan says parents have been informed by letter about the incident and counsellors have spoken with Grade 8 students.
"Through Facebook and in discussions with a few students, as well as police, it was learned that a small group of senior boys were making a "game" of sorts to try to seduce Grade 8 girls," says the letter sent to the parents of the senior boys and signed by A.J. Buggie, the principal at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary .
"I need to emphasize that nothing untoward has been happening at the school in this regard and it's not known how many of our senior boys or Grade 8 girls may have actually been involved in any way with this activity."
A similar letter was sent to the parents of Grade 8 girls.
The school has also introduced a program aimed at teaching self-respect to teens.
The RCMP visited the school to explain the criminal code to the boys, noting that sex with someone under age 14 is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Strachan said many of the senior boys were surprised by the information and angered by the game.
"A lot of them have sisters as well, whether older or younger, and they were not happy to hear that this sort of game was being done," Strachan said.
He said while the school is attempting to educate its students about the legal and moral implications of such a game, it's difficult to do much else because none of the alleged activity has been taking place on school property.
