unit 2

Blogging Assignment Two

     This blogging assignment hit home with me. I recently had a similar experience on this subject with my daughter. She was threatened with suspension for posts that were on her MySpace account. I had the same thoughts rush through my head as I read this article. What about my daughter’s First Amendment rights. What power did the school have over my daughter in her private life? Keep in mind that I consider myself a responsible parent. I monitor my daughter’s internet usage and I made an appointment to discuss this with her principal. I needed to know why he felt he could impose punishment on my daughter for her actions outside of school property. At the end of my meeting with the principal had a better understanding of his point of view. The school’s stance was simple. They were looking out for the safety of all students. It appears most of society seems to think the school is responsible for raising children.

            This brings to light the second part of the article that talks about the safety of the children. The school might be held liable if no action or investigation is taken. How would the parent of the daughter who complained about the MySpace page feel if nothing is done and the quote from the page is a real threat? Would they sue the school board? Is their daughter in any danger? These are all valid points but where does the schools authority end and parenting begin?

            Society is always too quick to point the finger at someone else. We, as a society, need to start taking responsibility for our own actions. I was told by a very wise old crusty Master Chief “that when you point a finger at someone else there are always three fingers pointing back at you.” While I feel that some monitoring is necessary, it should be limited to threats or bullying. I understand that the children feel that their rights are violated and in some cases they are. Plus, some of the students feet that it is their personal journal and the school has no right to read it. Then they should use what we call a diary. It should be kept locked up and private if you do not want everyone to read it. Anything that is posted on the internet is vulnerable to being hacked. If you put it out on the internet, expect it to be read by those you intended and anyone else who wants to access it.

            In case you were wondering what happened with my daughter. Nothing, it was a quote from Harry Potter and the reference was obscured by some of the graphics. At least the principal and the parents were able to work it out as adults. All sides were heard before action was taken.