The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on a Facebook mystery surrounding the resignation of the principal of Clayton High School just west of St. Louis. It turns out Louise Losos resigned Friday after nearly a month of leave from her duties. The news media outlet interviewed parents of students to find probable answers as to why the administrator left her post.
* Losos allegedly created a fake Facebook profile under the name Suzy Harriston. The person was supposed to be a student at Clayton High School who had over 300 Facebook friends.
* A day after a popular football coach's contract was not renewed, the Harriston profile began making "friend" requests with parents who were in favor of keeping Sam Horrell as a physical education teacher. The head coach was fired for violating by-laws of the Missouri State High School Activities Association.
* High school student Chase Haslett, son of former St. Louis Rams coach Jim Haslett, outed Harriston's profile. In a post, he claimed Losos was acting as Harriston and everyone should unfriend her. That happened April 5.
* One day after the allegation of a fake Facebook account, Losos was placed on leave. She never returned to her job. The Post-Dispatch stated the length of the leave would be "uncertain."
* KSDK reports board of education representative Chris Tennill gave a simple explanation for Losos' resignation. The principal and the school district "had a fundamental dispute concerning the appropriate use of social media."
* Parents who were curious of Suzy Harriston's identity did some research. There was no such student listing in the school directory. Some parents then told their children to unfriend the mysterious poster immediately. The Post-Dispatch searched public records in Missouri and didn't find a Suzy Harriston.
* Some parents interviewed by the newspaper felt Losos violated the trust of the students by creating a fake Facebook account. Facebook also requires everyone to use their real identities.
* Losos had been a teacher in the St. Louis area since teaching social studies for 10 years at Ladue High School. She became the principal at Clayton High School in 2005. Before administering CHS, Losos was an assistant principal at Parkway West High School in Ballwin. She holds a Doctorate from St. Louis University.
* The Clayton School Board requires staff to maintain "professional boundaries" when communicating electronically with students. Staff can be terminated for violating the policy. Teachers are encouraged to monitor students' online activity for "appropriate behavior."
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
