An article in the Christian Science Monitor, Teachers Strike Back at Students Online Pranks, details the reduced level of tolerance for student activity on the net where such activity is intended to embarrass, or worse, school administrators and instructors. In a nutshell, schools are beginning to treat such activity as actionable, with results ranging from discipline within the school to legal activity. The increased level of response comes because of the viral nature of materials put on the net. Most of these materials are intended to vent irritation with something about the instructor or the school, but some go further than that, alleging criminal behavior on the part of the instructor. Schools aren't taking it lightly.
Of course, some of these really are just kids being kids. Also, of course, the ACLU thinks that the schools' responses go overboard, as a rule, with instructors acting in an authoritarian rather than adult fashion, possibly contravening the kids First Amendment right. Perhaps. Personally, I'm with the schools on this one. This isn't just scribbling a nasty phrase on the sidewalk, or passing a crumpled note with a rude drawing during a lull in Algebra. The net provides an adult-level forum, accessible throughout the world. If a kid has to pay a significant price for an action which was taken on that stage with malicious intent, I see no problem with that.
1 comment:
I thought the bit about the student council member that was inappropriate on the principal's blog, and then banned from runnin on the council again was very appropriate. When you apply the same to "real life" if you were were rude to your boss on his blog, you probably would not get fired, but when he is looking for someone to head up the next big project, I am sure you name would be on the bottom of the list
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