Students suspended, expelled over Facebook posts

[castlewise]

From http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/students-suspended-expelled-over-facebook-posts/517

Alejandra Sosa, an honor roll student, said she regretted posting a Facebook status calling her teacher a pedophile. She has been suspended for 10 days. ?I was just expressing myself on Facebook, because like I said I was mad that day because of what he [did],? Sosa said in a statement. ?So, I mean I had no intentions of ruining his reputation.? William Lambert, also an honor roll student, had the same feelings as Sosa after he was reprimanded for calling the same teacher a rapist. He has also been suspended. ?I shouldn?t have done it,? Lambert said in a statement. ?Because I could have still been at school, like right now, if I never had commented on the post.?

Remember kids. If you make fun of your teachers on Facebook, be sure to avoid terms like pedophile and rapists. Nobody has a sense of humor about that kind of thing.

 

[Sora-Livana]

Or just don't have your teachers or anyone associated with them as friends on Facebook

 

[Booze Zombie]

Yeah, seriously... only let friends on your friends list.

 

[imnot]

Post vhanged for bieng wrong :L

 

[Daveman]

Yeah, seriously... only let friends on your friends list.

Even if you don't add them as your friend they can see your news feed. All they have to do is send a friend request and if you click "Not now" they still get the news feed, it's only if you go through an extra process fo removing them that they don't.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19029_6-things-social-networking-sites-need-to-stop-doing_p2.html

Back on topic, this is ludicrous. A facebook status isn't an "allegation". A suspension on their permanent record could be serious later down the line. Also one kid was expelled, which isn't in the OP. Sounds stupid to me. The teacher isn't getting his reputation ruined, he hasn't suffered at all, however the kids are suffering plenty. Yes it's a stupid thing to do but COME ON. At one of my schools a kid didn't even get suspended when he threw a fucking CHAIR at the teacher.

edit: I mean wall posts, not news feed.

 

[Corpse XxX]

Serves the students right... Beeing jerks like that towards people trying to feed them knowledge in life..

Teachers don't have an easy job, and putting up with all the shit some students do makes me wonder why they even bother trying..

Yeah, it can often seem like teachers are beeing outright a-holes, but thats usually your own fault for fucking things up in the first place..

If you treat them right, they will treat you right..

 

[castlewise]

The lesson learned: Never say anything you wouldn't want teachers or employers to know about on an account connected to your real name. Make a new account with a fake name, on Facebook or somewhere else, if you want more freedom of speech.

Good advice.

Wait so this isn't covered by free speech but the wbc is?
Whats up with you at the moment America?

For better or worse "defamation of character" was never protected under free speech. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_defamation_law) The line can be pretty thin, but in this case they were saying things about a specific individual which could lead to his getting suspended, fired, or otherwise in trouble with the school. Ironically if they would have said the more general "all teachers at school such and such are rapists" then they probably would have been in the clear.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Just 10 days? Someone got lucky.

Although the fact that two people called the same teacher a "pedophile" and a "rapist" does raise eyebrows.

Wait so this isn't covered by free speech but the wbc is?
Whats up with you at the moment America?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation

Didn't really notice WBC doing any of that. But I wasn't paying attention.

They're really only saying that "God hates so and so", right?

 

[spartan231490]

Wait so this isn't covered by free speech but the wbc is?
Whats up with you at the moment America?

Schools get to ignore their students rights in many ways because they're children and must be protected from themselves. That said, the article said parents are hireing lawyers and I don't think the expulsion will hold, and the suspended kids might get apologies.
OT: This is bullshit, but welcome to modern america, where everyone else's feelings are more important than your own.

 

[DEAD34345]

Huh? What right do schools have over what pupils say on facebook? They shouldn't be punished for this, at least not by the school.

 

[ender214]

Is the school not at all concerned at all that the terms "pedophile" and "rapist" were used? Usually if a student is merely angry with a teacher for something, terms like "retarded" or "*****" or "asshole" might be used. To specifically imply being amoral in a sexual nature would raise some flags for me if I was a member of the the school administration.

 

[spartan231490]

Serves the students right... Beeing jerks like that towards people trying to feed them knowledge in life..

Teachers don't have an easy job, and putting up with all the shit some students do makes me wonder why they even bother trying..

Yeah, it can often seem like teachers are beeing outright a-holes, but thats usually your own fault for fucking things up in the first place..

If you treat them right, they will treat you right..

Teachers are people, stressed out people in most cases, and are just as likely to be jerks as anyone else, maybe more so because of the stress. And middle school in america doesn't provide knowledge about life, it's just indoctrination.

Also, This is the administration being jerks, not the teacher.

 

[spartan231490]

Is the school not at all concerned at all that the terms "pedophile" and "rapist" were used? Usually if a student is merely angry with a teacher for something, terms like "retarded" or "*****" or "asshole" might be used. To specifically imply being amoral in a sexual nature would raise some flags for me if I was a member of the the school administration.

Why do you think they are reacting so strongly? Joke, joke. I find rapist odd, pedophile, not so much. I know a lot of good teachers who were accused of this in my school because students got angry.

 

[Lord Kloo]

Well I suppose it could be classed as slander but I do think that there is an internet clause that states that internet stuff shouldn't and won't be taken seriously as evidence for a person's character..

Don't see that the students can be suspended by their teachers for what can only be a civil/ criminal case..

Glad I live in the UK..

 

[kurupt87]

Wait so this isn't covered by free speech but the wbc is?
Whats up with you at the moment America?

Children don't, or at least shouldn't, have free speech. They are not yet a full member of society and so don't have the full rights of one who is.

As for the story; we are given no information other than the kids did this so, we can't make a moral or ethical decision anyway.

 

[ender214]

Is the school not at all concerned at all that the terms "pedophile" and "rapist" were used? Usually if a student is merely angry with a teacher for something, terms like "retarded" or "*****" or "asshole" might be used. To specifically imply being amoral in a sexual nature would raise some flags for me if I was a member of the the school administration.

Why do you think they are reacting so strongly? Joke, joke. I find rapist odd, pedophile, not so much. I know a lot of good teachers who were accused of this in my school because students got angry.

Really? I've only heard of a couple teachers at my school that were ever accused of being pedophiles.

They were fired.

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

Stupid kids, what do you expect posting this on THE INTERNET? Oh yeah, and they were so mature (sarcasm).