School officials punishing kids for blogs

[Shiranai_Baka]

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB113268572534704333-kl_gh5uVNgDPNPepwznr7DnkfW8_20051204,00.html?mod=blogs

Students are blogging about schoolyard crushes and feuds, posting gossip about classmates on social-networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com, and sharing their party snapshots on public Web pages. Increasingly, their readers include school administrators, who are doling out punishments for online writings that they say cross the line.

Opinions! Opinions!

[maebach]

That can be serious, kids can get very hurt from gossip and these websites. I think parents should take better care of kids on the internet and kids should be punished for posting gossip on teh internet

[vidcc]

The school has a duty to maintain order. If one student writes a hate page about another student then I feel the school is or at least should be perfectly justified in taking action because it is detrimental to school discipline.

[HeavyMetalParkingLot]

And what would happen if one of these kids wrote that they wanted to pull a Columbine in one of their blogs?

Would that be ok to act upon? Where would you draw the line?

I seem to remember a kid in Minnesota earlier in the year who killed several others. He ran a neo-nazi website. Could something have been done earlier if school officials had taken appropriate action? Who knows?

But in an age where parents seem to think their kids developement is the responsibility of the school system, why try to tie their hands?

[tracydani]

I don't think it should be up to the school to punish the student unless they are writing the blog from school.

They should however be allowed/encouraged to bring it to the attention of parents/law system if deemed neccessary.

I agree that too many parents seem to think it is the schools responsibility to raise their child, be we should not encourage that thinking by allowing the school to disipline students for actions taken outside of school.

[vidcc]

I only think the school should take action if outside activities have a direct effect on the school. Such a blog where the content openly derides another pupil is within this limit.

I also agree that parents should be raising their children and not leaving it to the schools but this is a case where the school has to consider the other pupils and not just the blogger. A suspension seems justified as it shows the parents that the school has the safety of the other pupils in mind and to me the idea is that once suspended the parents are the ones that do the discipline.
It is worth asking also what level of punishment the parents in this case consider appropriate. If one of my children managed to get them self suspended from school they would not be allowed to use their computer for starters

[silent h3ro]

Most schools block myspace anyways. Although there are still ways around it. I agree with what vidcc said though.

[DanB]

Free speech, what a lie :lol:

[Rat Faced]

You know, i think that many people dont know what "Free Speech" actually means?

"Free Speech" makes it possible to disagree with (as an example) your government, without fear of reprisal, unless it can be proven that you have damaged a persons reputation with malicious intent through false accusation....(which is for the courts to decide)

It does not mean you're free to "Bully" people through verbal/written material.


However, in this case, its not upto the school to punish anyone.

The School is in loco-parentus, and hence the "responsible body", only during school hours (including travel too and from said institution)... as far as im concerned.

I agree that something should be done... just not in agreement with the body that is doing the punishing.

[vidcc]

However, in this case, its not upto the school to punish anyone.



I agree that something should be done... just not in agreement with the body that is doing the punishing.Why do you feel that the suspension is the punishment?

What suspension does is remove the punishment from the school and place it in the hands of the parent, in other words "your child is being disruptive and it is not our job to raise your child, so take her away and deal with him/her"


The School is in loco-parentus, and hence the "responsible body", only during school hours (including travel too and from said institution)... as far as im concerned.

"responsible body" means responsible for the safety of all in their charge. Schools must have a level of discipline but in todays schools "punishment" is limited. If a pupil causes concern the parents are usually called in to deal with it.
In suspending the pupil the school is removing itself from being the responsible body.

[orcutt989]

I remember my school did this with AIM profiles. A teacher got a hold of a girl's screen name and suspended her for something that was in her profile. Thats dumb.

[Rat Faced]

Why do you feel that the suspension is the punishment?

What suspension does is remove the punishment from the school and place it in the hands of the parent, in other words "your child is being disruptive and it is not our job to raise your child, so take her away and deal with him/her"


The School is in loco-parentus, and hence the "responsible body", only during school hours (including travel too and from said institution)... as far as im concerned.

"responsible body" means responsible for the safety of all in their charge. Schools must have a level of discipline but in todays schools "punishment" is limited. If a pupil causes concern the parents are usually called in to deal with it.
In suspending the pupil the school is removing itself from being the responsible body.

Suspension is a punishment, albeit that the pupil may not look at it that way.

It is denying the pupil an education that includes interaction with their peers, and possibly denying education altogether, for a period of time.

The pupil will probably look at it as a holiday, however it can have a large impact upon their entire future if its long enough.

Even a short suspension where the pupil takes it seriously, means that they have extra work to catch up on.

[vidcc]

Suspension is a punishment, albeit that the pupil may not look at it that way.

I realise how you are looking at suspension from the pupils point however that is not what I am saying. At least not in this case

If a pupil is disruptive (even because of something done outside school) then the school suspends them. the suspension is not to punish the child but to protect the school and its other pupils from the disruptive child (a sad fact of life in schools these days it seems). It is then up to the parents to take the steps to prevent the child's disruptive behaviour occurring again.

Oh how things have changed from my days at school where the cane ruled harshly.

[silent h3ro]

I remember my school did this with AIM profiles. A teacher got a hold of a girl's screen name and suspended her for something that was in her profile. Thats dumb.What was in her profile?