The thought police are closing in ...

[kevin1]

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/tec?guid=20060523/447288c0_3422_1334620060523-251607236

Be careful what you blog , kiddies , the thought police may be watching . Should this type of behavior by a school district be condoned in the land of allegedly free speech ?




Your thoughts ?

[Aught Six]

What does free speech have to do with anything? The students are free to blog, and the school administrators are free to monitor.

Kids can beprettystupid, as is evident by their shock at learning that adultsactually have the ability to read theirblogs on the Web. If kids don't want the thought police monitoring them, then they'll need to shut those flapping gums that all teenagers seem to have.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted by Admins]

[Canuck_Buck]

Do you really think so ?

[Charlie P]

Aught why should they be punished for something they didn't do in school.

The board of Community High School District 128 voted unanimously on Monday to require that all students participating in extracurricular activities sign a pledge agreeing that evidence of "illegal or inappropriate" behavior posted on the Internet could be grounds for disciplinary action

Why is it only the kids particpating in extracurricular activities be required to sign?

Seems to me that the real problem kids like the ones in Columbine and other school shootings weren't active in anything.

[Aught Six]

Aught why should they be punished for something they didn't do in school.

I'm not saying that they should be punished for something done outside of school. I just don't have a problem with schools personnel readingtheir blogs.

Quite a few school shooter types and other problem students have spilled their guts online, and if I were part of a school system, I'd want to know about it too.

Why is it only the kids particpating in extracurricular activities be required to sign?

It's along the same line as anti-alcohol, anti-tobacco, anti-drug pledges that many students sign in order to join extra-curricular activities. These students represent their schools, and schools don't want to known for deliquent behavior above all else.

I don't care for the idea, but it's nothing new.

Seems to me that the real problem kids like the ones in Columbine and other school shootings weren't active in anything.

Blogs didn't exist in their current state when Dylan and Klebold were up to no good. The fact of the matter is that several subsequent school shooter types have in fact spilled their guts in blogs, and schools were unaware before it was too late.

Besides, there's more to protect schools from than just armed students. Drug dealers, sexual criminals, etc. are all important to identify in order to protect other students.

[Tazman]

I have no problem with a school system or even an employer checking out BLOGs and the like of a student or employee, but what one says in a BLOG or any internet site as long as they are not doing it from work or school there should not be any sort of discipline for it unless it is plotting/doing some sort of activity that could cause problems at thier job or school.

In other words if I got on a BLOG from home and said my company sucked and I thought my boss was a jerk my employer should not be able to discipline me for that.

Now if I got on a BLOG from home and started divulging proprietary information about things my company does that is a different story, then my employer has every right in the world to can my butt!

Ifa studentgot on a BLOG from home and said mypricipalsucked and I thought mygym teacherwas a jerkthe schoolshould not be able to disciplinethem for that.

Now if a student got on a BLOG from home and started plotting to assault a student or teacher, selling drugs, blowing up the gym teachers car, then the school has a right to report that to the police or what ever authorities it should be reported to.

People, ALL people need to be aware that the internet is PUBLIC and anyone can read what they say, but as long as what they are saying is not plotting or admitting to illegal activities there should be no ramifications.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted by Admins]

[burniegoeasily]

I dont think schools should do anything beyond the bounds of the school. School is not the parent, nor the law. With that said, I feel it is a good idea to monitor these sights. Schools can get some heads up as to what might be coming into the school. Think what could have been stopped, if Columbine would have monitored bolgs.

[Charlie P]

Blogs didn't exist in their current state when Dylan and Klebol were up to no good.

They had their own website if I remember right.