March 5, 2006 10:28 AM
20 Kids Suspended Over Web Site Post
Have you seen this article--20 Calif. Students Suspended Over Web Site?
A middle schooler allegedly posted threatening comments about another student on his MySpace site. He invited other students to view the site, and some of them did. When the school learned of the site, they contacted the police, and the boy who wrote the comments may be expelled. AND they suspended about 20 students who VIEWED the site.
I'm all for the boy who wrote the post being held accountable for his actions, no matter how old he is. It's important for the safety of the student who was threatened, and for the boy who is accused as well. But as the parent of a teen and a pre-teen, the idea that the students who viewed the site were suspended scares me. Both my kids have gone to Web sites that weren't quite what they expected. Will they be punished for their innocent mistakes one day, too?
Comments
Personal freedoms are even harder for the kids to hold on to than they are for the adults. The climate in this country, regarding the protection of an individual's rights, makes this story positively chilling.
Of course, someone could have wandered onto the site purely by accident. I'm sure a lot of the parents involved will bring that to their attention.
Posted by: Tammy at March 5, 2006 04:43 PM
Totally agree. By the way, dropped in from Blogmad. Love the site.
Posted by: Joel at March 6, 2006 11:36 AM
I am against punishing the students that viewed the site unless they knew in advance what was there. Given what has been hapenning in our schools kids need to learn to take threats seriously and report them before the kid shows up with the gun and starts shooting.
Posted by: Dr. John at March 6, 2006 07:30 PM
Damnit! I'm tired of hearing about MySpace and these idle teenagers!
Posted by: Leon at March 8, 2006 09:13 AM
I agree with Leon completely.
Posted by: earadriede at March 8, 2006 11:48 AM
