post #1
28 May 2006, 22:22 UTC#1
//Discuss
QUOTE
A 17-year-old high school student who posted comments online about Plainfield School District 202 is facing expulsion because of his blog, his attorney said.
After serving a 10-day suspension over his posting on Xanga.com, the teen is scheduled for a hearing Thursday on the matter, attorney Carl Buck said. The student is back in school but could be expelled and sent to an alternative school, Buck said.
"They are trying to terminate his educational rights," he said. "Neither the parents, student or I believe this warrants expulsion. This seems pretty aggressive for the kind of [posting] we are talking about here."
The student was suspended from school earlier this month after posting a letter online criticizing the discipline of another student, Buck said. He also posted a letter to school administrators saying his opinions were being stifled and that he was being bullied into removing information on his blog.
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe now you really are going to have a threat on your hands now that you have just [ticked] off kids for voicing their opinions?" one of his postings read. "The kids at Columbine did what [they] did because they were bullied."
While he was suspended, the student's parents received a letter saying the school district is considering expelling him, Buck said.
On Thursday, he is scheduled for a hearing at which he can make his case. The Plainfield school board will decide if the teen remains in school, Buck said. He didn't know when the board would take action.
Buck said the threatened discipline is unfair because the student posted his opinions on a social-networking Web site not accessible on school computers. Plus, he never named an administrator or threatened any violent action.
"We are talking about personal activity here," Buck said. "What is done off campus is his right."
Officials with the school district would not comment, saying they could not discuss details of a specific case.
In a written statement, officials said they don't monitor student Web sites or look up postings unless they create a disturbance at school.
"When a posting creates a disturbance to the educational environment or threatens the safety and security of students or staff members, it is the responsibility of the school district to look into the matter," the statement said.
"The district respects the 1st Amendment rights of our students, but not all words can be categorized as protected speech."
In recent months across the region, school administrators have struggled to figure out how to regulate students' online postings at sites such as MySpace.com. In Plainfield, the school district evaluates each case before taking disciplinary action, its statement said.
In this case, the student's mother believed his initial suspension was unfair and violated his freedom of speech, Buck said. After contacting the American Civil Liberties Union, she was referred to Buck to handle the case, he said.
After serving a 10-day suspension over his posting on Xanga.com, the teen is scheduled for a hearing Thursday on the matter, attorney Carl Buck said. The student is back in school but could be expelled and sent to an alternative school, Buck said.
"They are trying to terminate his educational rights," he said. "Neither the parents, student or I believe this warrants expulsion. This seems pretty aggressive for the kind of [posting] we are talking about here."
The student was suspended from school earlier this month after posting a letter online criticizing the discipline of another student, Buck said. He also posted a letter to school administrators saying his opinions were being stifled and that he was being bullied into removing information on his blog.
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe now you really are going to have a threat on your hands now that you have just [ticked] off kids for voicing their opinions?" one of his postings read. "The kids at Columbine did what [they] did because they were bullied."
While he was suspended, the student's parents received a letter saying the school district is considering expelling him, Buck said.
On Thursday, he is scheduled for a hearing at which he can make his case. The Plainfield school board will decide if the teen remains in school, Buck said. He didn't know when the board would take action.
Buck said the threatened discipline is unfair because the student posted his opinions on a social-networking Web site not accessible on school computers. Plus, he never named an administrator or threatened any violent action.
"We are talking about personal activity here," Buck said. "What is done off campus is his right."
Officials with the school district would not comment, saying they could not discuss details of a specific case.
In a written statement, officials said they don't monitor student Web sites or look up postings unless they create a disturbance at school.
"When a posting creates a disturbance to the educational environment or threatens the safety and security of students or staff members, it is the responsibility of the school district to look into the matter," the statement said.
"The district respects the 1st Amendment rights of our students, but not all words can be categorized as protected speech."
In recent months across the region, school administrators have struggled to figure out how to regulate students' online postings at sites such as MySpace.com. In Plainfield, the school district evaluates each case before taking disciplinary action, its statement said.
In this case, the student's mother believed his initial suspension was unfair and violated his freedom of speech, Buck said. After contacting the American Civil Liberties Union, she was referred to Buck to handle the case, he said.
