PLEASANT GROVE — A bunch of Utah County parents are hot over Playboy Magazine offers that landed in their mailboxes this week and appeared to be see-through attempts to entice their teenage sons.
That's hot — as in angry.
The mailer included an offer for a free DVD titled "Sexy Nude Coeds" if the boys agreed to order 12 issues of the publication for $10 — issues that will arrive "discreetly wrapped for privacy."
School officials aren't happy either because the parents of the young male students have accused the Alpine School District of releasing or selling the names and addresses of students.
A district administrator denied the sale or release of personal information of students.
"We don't send them to school to do that," said Dennis Cook, whose son received the unsolicited mailing. "I don't think it's right. Morally, it's not right."
Cynthia Cook said she confronted her 17-year-old, but he denied having anything to do with the offer, which is aimed at males ages 12 to 20.
The mailing guarantees "a low student rate" and suggests the recipient simply drop the postcard in the return mail, no stamp necessary.
Scantily clad women in suggestive poses are on the printed card, and the sender promises "uncensored advice" and "the world's hottest women all to yourself."
Offended at the sight of the mailing, Cynthia Cook started to toss the material into the garbage but stopped when she realized others may have received the same offer.
"I checked with my neighbors, and they were upset as well," she said. "One mother's 10-year-old son had picked up the mail, and there it was. You can get this in the mail and no one will know it."
Cook wants to organize a legal protest against such mailings.
She wants to know how the publisher of Playboy obtained her son's name and address and is worried about the possibility that the National Research Center for College and University Admissions sold her son's personal information to Playboy's publishing house.
State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff recently issued a statement about NRCCUA's practice of doing just that in 2001.
Forty-two states, including Utah, filed suit against the research center and settled out of court
Sam Jarman, the Alpine schools administrator over high schools, said the district does not knowingly sell lists of student information.
"I had a principal from Springville call me because he had complaints, and his own son who is 14 had received the same mailing," Jarman said.
Jarman, who did not know how the magazine obtained the names and addresses, said he can see why parents would assume the district provided the information — but it is district policy to keep that information private.
Jens Fugal, a Utah Valley attorney, said parents have contacted him to see what they can do to stop the mailings.
Fugal said parents may obtain a form — called a PS-1500 — from the U.S. Postal Service and ask that nothing be delivered from a particular sender.
They can also request they be put on a list of patrons who prefer no junk mail at all.
The Cooks said that gives them only a small amount of comfort.
"These companies don't need to be soliciting young kids," said Dennis Cook.
"These poor kids are so bombarded with bad messages anyway," said Cynthia Cook. "We don't need it coming to our home."
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com