The photograph in question hangs in the classroom of social studies teacher Erin Schwartz, who took it herself when she stumbled upon a peace rally in San Francisco last year. Surrounding the picture are other photos, newspaper articles, advertisements and fliers.

Parents are mystified, though, about how Robin Flury, who does not have children at the school, obtained their email addresses and sent them a message asking for support in petitioning school administrators to remove the photo.

Some say that Flury must have obtained and used the Los Gatos High parent directory—nicknamed the "Buzz Book"—which is only available to parent members of the Home and School Club. Flury said she used "directories posted on the Internet" to gain access to the email address.

"You may check with the administration regarding my possession of a LGHS directory. I do not have one," Flury said in an email to the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. "I am getting backlash from all over town for using a book that I don't even own—nor ever owned."

Flury said, however, "As to where I did obtain these email addresses, this is not something I can discuss with you."

But an email that Flury had sent to a parent contradicts her statement that the information was obtained online.

"I have sent emails to all the parents listed in the LGHS directory, as well as alumni listed on the LGHS alumni website. I have also contacted various community leaders and local government," Flury wrote to a parent who asked how she was able to contact the recipients of the original message.

And according to the school and representatives of the Home and School Club, no Internet directory with parent contact information exists.

Home and School Club Parliamentarian Nancy Wark said club officials are "very, very protective" of the privacy of Los Gatos High families. The directory, which has information on all students and parents, is a gift that is tied with the $30 membership for the Home and School Club. Members who want an additional copy to keep at a second location can purchase one for $5, Wark said.

Outside organizations have asked to join the club in order to receive a directory, and "that's wrong," Wark said. "To me, that's an infringement on people's privacy." Wark regularly sends out emails to approximately 350 members who have indicated a desire to receive updates and to volunteer for school events, but even those addresses are blind carbon copied. "Nobody has those email addresses on the 'email tree' but me," Wark said.

"Anybody that's not part of the Home and School Club shouldn't have a directory," said Shelley Seders, president of the club. "The concept of the book itself is to keep students in touch with new students" and keep parents in touch with each other.

"It's a wonderful resource if your kid forgot his homework," Wark added.

After Flury sent out her email on April 8, Seders said she was besieged with messages from angry parents. "Nothing about the flag-burning. It's, 'How did she get my email address?' " Seders said.

The first page of the parent directory says, "The use of this publication for commercial, political or any other form of solicitation is strictly prohibited."

Parents "feel that their emails and their information has not been protected, and they're upset about that," Principal Trudy McCulloch said. "Obviously, we feel very bad about it. You just assume that people will honor what it says at the front of the book."

"We take it very, very seriously that this is about trust and this woman has crossed the line," Wark said.

Parent Diana Wright-Weissman said, "It was pretty clear in the directory what the directory is used for. She breached that."

Wright-Weissman said she had gotten the addresses of parents in the past for a New Millennium Foundation alumni event, but after receiving the approval of the school and district.

Seders said she invited Flury to an April 10 Home and School Club meeting to address the contact information issue as well as the flag-burning photo, but Flury declined. Flury has also yet to see the photo in question.

According to Seders, some parents have stated that they do not want to be listed in the directory next year as a result of Flury's email.

"What that does to a school, what that does to us, is that our membership goes down," Seders said. Revenue will go down for the club, which funds events and activities that benefit the student body and faculty. "It will curtail all the activities for the kids next year," Seders said.

"My hope is that it won't have a negative impact on parents giving us information to help us keep in contact with each other," McCulloch said.

"[Flury] didn't think before she acted, and she stole those email addresses," Seders said. "The only addresses that are online are of the alumni."

Flury said she obtained alumni email addresses from www.lghs.net/alumni/index.html, an old website that has since been dismantled.

The website, last updated in August 2001, had public postings of the addresses of alumni students and served as the school's transition to a new password-protected alumni website, www.lghs.net/alumni.html.

"People put their email address on there to be able to be contacted, but for the school and for reunions," said Dan Walsh, a social studies teacher and the site's webmaster. Flury's use "wasn't appropriate," Walsh said. "It is a shame that someone abused something that is meant to be positive."

Walsh said he got emails from alumni who were not happy to have received Flury's message; however, "no one said, 'Remove me from it.' " But "the high school's going to take the website down because of issues like this," Walsh said early last week.

As for the flag-burning photo, parents and alumni have been supportive of the administration's stance to let it stay on Schwartz's wall, saying the teacher is presenting all viewpoints to educate students.

"I certainly stand behind how Trudy and the administration handled it," Wright-Weissman said.

"It was a picture that had its purpose, was used for lessons and discussions," McCulloch said. "The picture will stay, and we'll continue to offer a balanced program."