the sexting scandal at canon city high is not an isolated case. in the last six months there have been a dozenen sextiti investigations, a growing problem in high schools and middle school. there's no federal sexting law but it is on the books in 20 states, withidely ranging penalties. in new jersey, the prosecutor's office charged 20 male students -- >> reporter: male students shared nude photos of female students through text messages and social media. in ohio -- >> ten kids are in serious trouble. >> reporter: a similar photo-sharing ring. just today in new york -- >> we begin withh that sexting andal -- >> reporter: another sexting scandal involving dozens of students. >> two male 14-year-old students filmed a sexual encounter. that video made the rounds. >> reporter: the school disciplined the teens for allegedly sharing or just viewing a video of a fellow student engaged in a sex act. the father of one of the suspended students was outraged. >> it's impossible to believe that your son could get in trouble because somebody forwarded a video t

an anonymous tip about students sexting at canon city high school has led canon city police to open a criminal investigation which could take weeks, even months to complete. "when we get that type of information, our procedures within the school district are to report that to police." the school won't say students were taking and trading nude photographs. "we do have a telephone with several hundred images on it at this point in time." the police department has obtained three cell phones so far....all are curreretly being forensically examined. in addition to suspending students, the school canceled friday's football game in the are obviously showing that the superintendent is disappointed such negative news is happening in his own babakyard....he says "sexting" i i a nationwide problem. "there isn't a school in the with the issue of sexting." the district attorney said it's too early in the investigation to tell whether any charges will be filed....but did ay they do have the power to file felony charges of distribition and possession of child pornography depending upon the police de

clayton sandell is in canon city, colorado. >> reporter: good morning robin. the country but it's the sheer number of students involved here that makes this such a stunning case. as kids come back to classes here this morning, some of them face the possibility of criminal charges. it's the high school sexting scandal that has parents everywhere reaching for their kids' phones. >> she said they trade them like trading cards. >> reporter: this morning, more than 100 underage canon city high school students are possibly involved in the sharing of nude photos. >> there are information about this is going on for a long time. >> reporter: it could take a month to find the victims, to find out if anyone was coerced and if anyone over the age of 18 was involved. >> we're in the process of obtaining search warrants but the interviews will be coming shortly. >> reporter: so far, roughly 10% of canon city high schoolers have been implicated. some say middle schoolers may have been involved. in the exchange of nearly 400 nude photos. >> the main source of transfer of thes

a secret place, to store photos, messages or browse the internet.in canon city, administrators uncovered students using the apps to collect and share naked photos. (steve beaty//metro state security expert) "it might be funny or fun today but ten years from now is that really what you want to have out there?" 59:33metro state security expert steve beaty says the apps aren't new.but the technology is becoming more sophisticated.(steve beaty//metro state security expert) "they are able to hide more and more things."many of the apps are so advanced, they allow two passwords.type in one -- everything on the app disappears.put in another, perhaps only known to youand it's all back.(steve beaty//metro state security expert) "you have to type in the exactly the right number to unlock and get behind and see the photos."while teens may think the photos are hidden from mom and dad.beaty says there's nothing stopping the developers of the apps from sharing the photos.(steve beaty//metro state security expert) "it could just take your hidden photos and send them to somebody else on the net and there

. >>> the picturesque city of canon city, colorado, is in an uproar all over pictures.over 1,100 students at canon city high school has led to a felony investigation by the police and a forfeiture of the foot b football game, and again, this is a school. anacabrera is there, and i'm joined by my cnn attorney analyst paul callan and our defense attorney analyst joey jackson. ana, can you put it in a nutshell for me, because it is hard to say that half of the school is involved in a sexting ring, but it comes down to the fact that half of the school had dirty pictures. >> and apparently, it is going on for some time, ashleigh, we are learning. it all began with the tip from a student early next week, and then another anonymous tip that came in that suggested that t theis extsing situation was much more wide spread than an isolated incident, and now we have a police investigation under way, and at least three phones are turned over to school authorities that reportedly depict hundreds of images of hundreds of students that are either partially nude or in the undergarments

dietrict attorneys in canon city have discovered a large number of nude photos on the students' phones and the d.a. says they could be charged with child pornogogphy. carter evans is live. >> reporter: good morning. the school district said an equal number of boys and girls were involved in the sexting scandal and some as young as eighth grade. itit forced the varsity football team to cancel its final game this weekend and parents to monitor teens in a high-tech world. at an emergency meeting, concerned parents learned that hundreds of students at canon city high may be involved i collecting naked pictures of themselves on cell phones like baseball cards. >> it was flooring to us how many photos we were finding. >> reporter: school administrators@started investigate investigating on monday after an anonymous tip and started suspected phones that were turned over voluntarily. $% >> the evidence w made to call police and you need toand over everything you got and let the criminal investigation proceed. >> reporter: at least half of the football team has been implicated in the sexting sca

bret meuli, canon city high school principal: it's a photo vault app. it's an app that is free. >> she said they trade nudes like trading cards. antoinette: canon city school officials say more than half of the high school's football team is involved. now the school is forcing the team to forfeit today's game. frank: an ohio bank manager and his family were held hostage for 17 hours, then forced to withdraw money from his own bank. brian mcconnell tells police his wife and two children were held thursday afternoon until friday morning. the suspect forced mcconnell to drive to the bank he manages and withdraw more than $100,000. the family was released after the suspect received the money. >> he apologized the entire time. he said it wasn't his idea. he said that the guy would kill him and come back and get my family. frank: investigators are looking at surveillance video as they hunt for clues. >> now your storm team 5 forecast with meterologist danielle vollmar. antoinette: all right. what a nice start to the day. it's been hovering right around 60 deg

investigators say students shared hundreds of nude photos at canon city high school south of denver. police opened a criminal investigation. underaged nude photos and even taken consensually could be considered criminal possession of child pornography. >>> car and driver reports the man who brought us the original bat mobile, george barris, has passed away after a lengthy illness. the legendary custom car builder helped design california's car culture. he designed dozens of other stunningly crafted automobiles seen in movies and on tv. george barris was 89 years old. >>> still ahead, a missing child case is solved 13 years later. the incredible story of a teenager who discovered a family secret. >>> new revelations about the atmosphere of mars. nasa's exciting news. created by our master chocolatiers. pure, rich, elegantly thin. experience excellence with all your senses. welcome to the sleep revolution. all new emergen-zzzz. a natural way to power down. with melatonin, plus vitamin c and other antioxidants. to work their magic while you sleep. don't just sleep, revitalize. new emerg

. >> catherine:at least 100 students at a high school in canon city, 10 their smartphones. >> catherinenderway and several students have been suspended. >> catherine:a school official says students hid the images in disguises itself as a calculator or media player. >> catherine:administrators uncovered students using the apps to collect and share naked >> catherine:the principal of canon city high school shares his thoughts on the sexting scandal. when >>.to this magnitude. douai >> catherine:officials say they only plan to press charges if "absolutely necessary".adding that it is possible no charges are filed at all. >> catherine:authorities are trying to determine whether any adults were involved.and if any of coerced into sending the nude pictures. >> catherine:just hours after the president of the university of missouri system resigned today.the chancellor of the university announced he was also stepping down amid a controversy over race. >> catherine:at the center of it all: claims of inaction. black student leaders say, despite overt displays of racism at the school -- administrat

steve: charges are now pending for three students in canon city, colorado, in connection with a felony investigation involving school -- phone student sexting. school officials say students secret apps that can look like a calculator or media player. police confiscated the phones and found hundreds of nude or partially nude pictures. one student says she never took or texted nude pictures but it is very common among her peers. >> i think it's become a norm throughout, not just at our school, but throughout all of society. we see these things on tv and the internet of like, girls sending pictures of themselves and everything. steve: several students have been suspended. investigators say felony charges could be filed possibly leading to sex-offender status for some of the offenders. kevin: with just a quick, free download, your teen could be hiding photos, messages and files from you. experts recommend installing parental controls that require your authorization to download anything to their phones. experts also say there's nothing stopping app developers from sharing the photos. >> it

concerned parents learned that hundreds of students at canon city high may be involved in collecting naked pictures of themselves on cell phones like baseball cards. >> it was flooring to us how many photos we were finding. >> reporter: school administrators started investigate investigating on monday after an anonymous tip and started suspected phones that were turned over voluntarily. >> the evidence was made to call police and you need to hand over everything you got and let the criminal investigation proceed. >> reporter: at least half of the football team has been implicated in the sexting scandal. as a result, administrators announced the team will forfeit its final game of the season. >> if we are going to preach character and integrity and doing the right thing when nobody is looking, we just can't step on the field and compete and represent our school and our community with that. >> reporter: investigators say the teens hid pictures using secretive appears that masked one that looks like a calculator, not a photo album. >> the city of canon city is any town usa. it's going o

. >> reporter: this morning, more than 100 underage canon city high school students are possibly involved in the sharing of nude photos. >> there are information about this is going on for a long time. >> reporter: it could take a month to find the victims, to find out if anyone was coerced and if anyone over the age of 18 was involved. >> we're in the process of obtaining search warrants but the interviews will be coming shortly. >> reporter: so far, roughly 10% of canon city high schoolers have been implicated. some say middle schoolers may have been involved. in the exchange of nearly 400 nude photos. of these pictures, as best we can ascertain, is an app called photo vault. you can send messages to someone else who has the app. you can receive messages from someone who has the app. >> reporter: the photo vault programs can masquerade as other apps, such as calculators. by typing in a secret code, it allows access to the hidden content. files, contacts, and images can be stored unseen. >> they look simple. there are literally hundreds of apps that are photo vaults. look at their phones

. >> reporter: the school superintendent says the 1,000 kids attending canon city high school, at least 1/3 are involved. some at least as young as 13. one photo taken on school grounds. the police department launched >> we do have a telephone with several hundred images on it. >> reporter: authorities now have three cell phones in their possession and say kids were hiding the images using photo vault apps on their phones. apps disguise themselves as calculators or other tools so parents don't suspect what is really inside. some students have already been suspended. and the football team was forced to forfeit last night's final game because it is unclear how many of the players are implicated. those not involved feel unfairly punished. >> i did not expect the season to go out like this. >> the few kids that ruined it should not have ruined it for the team. >> reporter: a school once in contention for the state championship now under investigation. the students are facing possible charges of possessing and distributing child pornography which could be a felony. they could have to registe

in canon city, administrators uncovered students using the apps to collect and share naked photos. (steve beaty metro state security expert steve beaty says the apps s en't new. but the technololo is becoming more sophisticated. (steve beaty many of the apps are so advanced, they allow two passwords. type in one --everything on the app disappears. put in anoththperhaps only known to you and it's all back. (steve beaty while teens may think the photos are hidden from mom and dad. beaty says there's nothing stopping the developers of the apps from m aring the phot (steve beatyty ." jessica rae: experts say the take-away for parents is to check kids' phones for apps that seem out-of- aware of when new apps are downloaded. jessica rae: " when we come back... i'llllell you why thth marching band and cheerleaders e bringing the rty to a califoia suburb. " jessica rae: plus... texas cheerleader who was cut from the team... for having curly hair. you'll hear from the girl and her mother... after the break. well several moms found out about the impact they have on how their daughter's feel

could face felony charges in a texting sexting scandal that may involve hundreds of students at canon city high school. boys and girls taking nude pictures and passing them along to others. not a good idea. who would then forward them on. investigators say it could take months to determine who the offenders are and who are the victims. >> it's early in the investigation and we're in the process of conducting a forensic examination on the telephones and reviewing those images. >> the local newspaper says this has been going on for years and most of the student body even knew about it. well, the school began investigating after getting an anonymous tip. now, if convicted some of those students could have to register as sex offenders. the district attorney, meanwhile, says he will charge students only if it is absolutely necessary. >> so the obama administration preparing one more push, just one, to close the prison at gitmo before he leaves office in 2016. just ahead, the possible plan for where to move the prisoners. plus -- protesters calling on nbc to, quote, dump trump ahead of donald tr

ana cabrera joins us live from canon city.ccer fields, parents in new york, this is all they were talking about. i have to believe the volume there is simply enormous. >> reporter: the community here has really been shaken. and they say it's been an eye-opening experience, especially for parents who had no idea things were happening on their kids' cell phones. here's why. a lot of these pictures were being shared and then saved on secret apps. that may look like a calculator app or a media player on your kids' cell phone, but then when you open it and type in a password, it provides access to a lot of hidden pictures. officials say they're very early in this investigation, but they've already confiscated three cell phones they've determined contain hundreds of pictures involving hundreds of students here at the school that shared either partially nude photos or photos of students in their undergarments. these are students as young as eighth grade. now, we did talk to one student who says that she was asked to send lewd photos

. >> reporter: officials in canon city involves 500 teens and the city, colorado, says the scandal involves as many as 500 teens at the local high school. the principal says the students used smartphone apps designed to keep those pictures hidden. >> it's a photo vault app. it's an app that is free. you enter the right password, and that's where your photo vault is. >> reporter: so many football players are allegedly involved, the team is forfeiting this weekend's game. overnight emergency meetings were held with concerned parents. >> are there adults involved and what's going to happen? you know, how far is this going to go. >> reporter: authorities are considering suspensions, expulsions and some student ss may face felony criminal charges. a conviction would force them to register as a sex offender. >> this could cause them not to get into the college they want, not to get the scholarship they're going for. >> reporter: officials say their advice is to monitor your kid's device. >> get into it. see what they're actually doing. >> reporter: for "good morning america," clayton sandell, abc