A letter from Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Maura Pally appeared yesterday in the syndicated advice column Dear Amy. Pally’s letter came in response to a January 19 Dear Amy letter in which the writer alleged that a host parent has been involved in inappropriate behavior with teenage boys staying at his home, including international exchange students.

Pally asserts in her letter that the Department of State’s “top priority is the safety and well-being” of high school exchange students and that any reader aware of a situation in which an exchange student is being improperly treated is strongly encouraged to report the incident to authorities and the Department immediately.