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285 Comments
- antipro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24man i remember the good ole days when MySpace was just for hooking up with 14 year olds
now its full of hate crimes
way to ruin a good thing - antron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20Thoughtcrime punished.
Doubleplusgood! - Grodius, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20Now I digg this. I was almost expelled from high school/arrested for being a moderator on forums where people were making fun of a kid. Since I was an authority figure, the comments made were my fault even though I deleted them as soon as I saw them. Old people need to either learn more about INTERNET or just stay out of kid's business.
- MSIGuy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12It doesn't surprise me. I got suspended for a week after a kid punched me in the face, I didn't hit back. All that taught me was, might as well hit back.
I don't think the kid that made the comment should get any consequences at school, if we start doing that, what's next, detention when someone swears at home? - CrimsonBlur, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10There is no argument or debate here, the school DID overstep its bounds. No school has any authority over anything going on outside of school except for a very limited amount of moral issues like being required to report physical abuse at home, etc. to the authorities. Even if this did fall under that, the school can't take any action against the student, the most they could do is notify the authorities, and in this case the police would probably say, "So? What do you want us to do about it? Kids will be kids..." The kid might have "deserved" to be suspended, but that doesn't give the school the right or authority to do so, and suspending 20 people for viewing the material is just grossly excessive and idiotic.
- tdkyo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7The expelled kid deserved it, but the 20 suspended students!? That's crap. Viewing something shouldn't lead you to in trouble unless classified by the U.S. Federal Government.
- aaplmacguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8"This is bullcrap. For all the school knows, this could just be a joke/inside joke amongst them."
Doesn't matter at all if it's an inside joke. You don't get to say anything you want, attach a just kidding, and call it OK.
Punishing the kid who made the threat. The school was dead right.
Punishing the kids who just saw it. The school was dead wrong.
In my time I suspended two kids for threatening another kid. I didn't suspend everyone in earshot who heard the threat. Nobody was stupid enough to say, "Yeah, and I'll help," otherwise I'd have suspended them too. - fishindiesea, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7its happened at my school. our county started a "NeXt Generation Learning Initiative" which gives all 9th graders at my magnet school laptops. and yes the spelling is NeXt lol. but the more enterpisng kids crakced admin passwds needed to install AIM and things on the comps. so te school responded by re-imaging the laptops to take screen shots every 10 min, store it in a partition and then next time you log on to the school network, it uploads it to a server. even tho myspace is blocked, trying to get to the page gets u "flagged" for suspicious activity. kids have been suspended for going to google cache of myspace and accessing login there. also proxy avoidance sites are flagged aswell. we tried setting up a network of our own in our lockers and place around campus, but its too expensive for 9th graders and easy to find. kids have been suspended for playing online g.ames and we are forced to type with periods in between words to stop the filter.
sorry bout the life story but this kinda brought all this up.
reply back for suggestions and comments thnx - drbroccoli, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"Thoughtcrime punished.
Doubleplusgood!"
Exactly. - Arkitan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This is insanity
- CompIsMyRx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The ACLU should have a nice, long chat with this school.
- roflcopter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Now although I think some of the kids deserved to be suspended(that was a very mean thing to say) I still think that it is stupid that so many others were suspended JUST FOR VIEWING! Come on people...
- Bonobo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5lol tewinkle middle school
- frozendice, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@fishindiesea
Who paid for those laptops? Was it the school? Maybe they want you to use them for say.. educational purposes? Not piss off your day at school playing games, sneaking past filters to view illegal content, most likely porn. Why must kids stive to get past filters. Some are overzealous but that's why you FILE a compalint with the admin at your school. - Pizon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Talk about assanine. California ever ceases to amaze me. Look out for the thought police and make sure you don't do anything that might be considered double ungood.
- raccettura, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This isn't unusual
Most schools will suspend students if they get in a fight outside of school (even if it's on a weekend, off school property at a non-school related function). Almost definately if the cops are involved.
Sad how schools take that upon themselves. - carrotopp13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The legitness and seriousness of this story are ruined by the fact that the kid went to TeWinkle Middle School...
- mp817, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2IF it endangers the student or is a harrasment, like what e7h3rn37 said on their website they have every right to discipline the one who started the topic. Imagine the humiliation the girl is feeling.
- SniperGX1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Insane.... if that happend to my kids I would beat the principal with a lead pipe
- foxhoundadmin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2go around with a group name with a confession of hate of one girl, an expletive, and an anti-semitic remark. then, get one member of that group to verbally assault that girl on myspace (and get expelled). finally, see if all the rest of the members of that group who go to that school don't get suspended (or worse).
the school did the right thing. GOOD ON 'EM! i hope those little bastards get arrested. i hope the one who made the comment goes to jail or juvie. piece of... *expletive!* - eyebits, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Schools are becoming an extension of the US government's mission to control every aspect of our lives. It is not appropriate for a school to suspend a student for activity outside of the school...short of possibly the commission of a crime. And, the last time I checked, browsing to a web site is not a crime.
Speaking of how the world has changed. When I was in school (in the 70's) I regularly brought my shotgun or rifle on the bus and took it to school so that I could ride a friend's bus home with him and go hunting after school. Of course, the gun was unloaded and the ammo was in my school bag :) The gun was stored in my locker at school. No one thought twice about it and I was not the only person to do it. Today if I did that I would not only be expelled but I would be in jail on some terrorist charge related to the Patriot Act. - kyrobeshay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@crimsonblur
Yes, they did overstep the boundary, but I wouldn't go so far as to say the school had no authority over anyting going on outside the school. I'd say they do in the case of the possibility of a student being hurt by another. To me, this sounds like typical middle school chatter, like saying i hate that guy and wanna shoot him in the face. But, I could see them wanting to take a preemptive approach.
On a lighter note...anyone else chuckle at the name of the middle school? TeWinkle, hehehe. - Drahknon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The girl's parent's should have sued under the state's terroristic threat statute. That's why those laws were created.
- goduke06, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2my school suspened 5 kids for making or commenting on a myspace account that was making fun of our school rival (in sports) some kid made a page that said it was their official myspace then said they were a bunch of ***** suckers etc. and some other kids from our school commented on it saying it was funny, you know the drill. so then our school rival calls our school and start whining. hehe, so my school got evryone who was a friend of the account and interviewed all of them. then they suspened the maker of the account and the people who made comments on it, really rediculous since they did it out of school. they also had a school assembly on it. everyone thought it was the most retarded thing ever since in the assembly they were telling us about how terrible the web is, like we didnt know already
- mikesown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think that the school was out of bounds for taking diciplinary actions against a student for something that occured off grounds, HOWEVER it would not be unreasonable for law enforcement to be involved, as a threat was made, and as the case with anything, they are expected to investigate all threats.
- ThaCapn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Plus, it's not like the kid actually has a gun, people, seriously. Let him screw around on myspace if he wants to and go about your business there's nothing to see here people."
And you know this? - Kila, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Heck some kid got EXPELED for writting his initials
SURE, THIS MAKES SENSE: A student at McHenry (Ill.) Community High School
has been disciplined after "doodling" in his own notebook. His drawing
features the initials "D.L.K." which, school officials told his mother,
"could" mean "Disciples Latin King" -- the Latin Kings and the Latin
Disciples are two rival gangs. His mother says he's not a member of any
gang. But under the school's zero tolerance rules about gang activity,
the boy was suspended, and the school board voted unanimously to expel
Derek Leon Kelly from any state-funded school for the rest of the
school year, rejecting his explanation that the initials he drew are
simply his own. (Chicago Tribune) ...Leaving him nothing to do but join
a gang.
The schools are over reaching with Broad powers they don't have
I've never sen a digg take off like this, THIS IS WHY I LOVE/ HATE DIGG
It gets me all worked up about something I could really not care about But I DO
Kill Kevein R. will that get me expeled *Kevin your cool* - scotticus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I should add, that I think libel applies not just to print, but to the internet as well. And if it doesn't, it should. The internet is a great forum for "the little guy" to make his voice heard, but it isn't a place where you can do or say anything you want without consequence.
- SilentBobSC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1oh... and then there's the phrase we all hate hearing when we're young and I think it's particularly apt here...
as my parents used to constantly remind me when I got all idealistic and loud-mouthed "Guess what son, life isn't fair, get used to it" - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1well at least he didnt post goatse
but viewing that is probably punishment enough - clerk37, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Okcomputer
Did you read my comments?I know that it's not the law.I know it's not currently covered under the first amendment.I know that threats are not legal.I'm just expressing my opinion.That is covered under the first amendment.I'm sorry that my opinion is not in agreement with the law. But I think the law needs to change not my opinion. - frozendice, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Every day I read digg I feel like the community REALLY is middle/highschool kids. Seriously, what's with all the 1984 comments? Free speech is to voice yourself and not be opressed. The kid was saying he wanted to violent kill another kid. That deserves a punishment, the article wasn't incredibly clear but it also sounded like he refered to her with an racial slur. That is NOT what free speech is about. Yes, you can say you hate people look at the KKK, but threating people's life is NOT free speech.
Now with the 20 kids who viewed it, the article made it sound like they 'joined in', this probably meant they clicked the friends button, or whatever which EVERYONE on myspace does. Unless they comented back saying, something like "YEAH L3TZ DO 1T!!!!!" how is their fault for what they read? Also taking their age into account, it is important to affirm that this isn't acceptable, so I do see why the punishment was harsher. But my gosh people, do you side with anyone that's been punished for something? What are YOU going to do next? Go down to the local jail, find someone that's been arrested for drunk driving and say he was expressing himself through creative driving?
Give it a break! - hattrick35, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Two things:
1.That one kid is a loser but let him do whatever the hell he wants. On myspace (AT HOME, IT WASN'T LIKE HE DID ANY OF IT AT SCHOOL), nobody cares. Plus, it's not like the kid actually has a gun, people, seriously. Let him screw around on myspace if he wants to and go about your business there's nothing to see here people.
2.Those other suspensions were totally wrong. First, they were just messing around. Second, if some watches a Tom Cruise movie, does that make them gay?
2. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1this ***** needs to be stopped. the REAL issue is this kind of big brother control softens kids up to accept this kind of crap as adults.
if any kid of mine is ever discplined in this way i'll be straight down the principles throat so far he'll think he is ***** me out.
this also draws attention to the fact not enough parents take notice of whats going on in their kids lives. do we really want to live in a world where the state raises our children in a manner it see's fit?? - 0Troy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1*Obligatory Ben Franklin quote* (You know which one...)
- frozendice, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@iimrmonkii
It would be funny to make a myspace saying you were from some random school then have pictures of people drinking, make sure they find it. It would be helarious to see them trying to find the student. - clerk37, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@mranime
It's sad to hear you think that way.In my opinion under the first amendment I should be able to say that I'm going to kill every last one of you and not be punished.They're just ***** words.Get over it. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The courts have slapped down several over zealous school districts for punishing student for activities done at home. The argument that punishment is protecting student safety has yet to fly in court, as threats of violence are better handled by the police than the school.
- breakneckridge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ larryni
"If she can go to school in peace without getting harrassed by morons, yes."
You missed my point. These students were only suspended. They are back in class with her right now. The myspace thing was easy to spot and punish, but now the kids know not to be public about ***** with her and they are gonna be SERIOUSLY pissed off at her. If her life was bad before the school's actions just made it hundreds of times worse. You know how awful kids can be. They'll be much worse to her now and all the school did was teach the harassers not to do their harassing in a way that authority figures might find out about it. - Lucrecia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As far as violating our Bill of Rights (to those who mentioned it), I don't think it applies when others' rights are being violated. Example: The right of a middle-school girl (who I'm assuming, from the article, is Jewish) to not be threatened and publicly humiliated by her classmates (more so, just because she's a middle-school Jewish girl).
I don't think it was the school's place to handle it, it definitely should have been handled by the authorities. I don't see how expelling him will protect this girl from him, or make him regret what he's done to her.
And as far as suspending students for viewing... that's totally pathetic. And off school grounds... that should be outlawed or something. - nbx909, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1at home? AT HOME? how do they prove that you were using a site at home?!?!?
- scott1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Did anyone read the artiicle
"According to three parents of the suspended students, the invitation to join the boy's MySpace group gave no indication of the alleged threat. They said the MySpace social group name's was "I hate (girl's name)" and included an expletive and an anti-Semitic reference."
I can't blame the school for suspending them.Starting a gourp about hating someone with anti-semitic refernce is very serouis.Even if they didn't really hate the girl or that there anti-semitic they still shouldn't have of join.
MySpace really needs to be stricter on the +18 years old policy before some lawer gets shutdown..maybe Jack thompson.I don't like MySpace because of them not modderting there own website. - doowttam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Did no one read the actual article? The kid claimed that he wanted to shoot some girl in the head with a shotgun. The school has a right to treat that like a threat, the kid should be expelled. Who knows about the other kids, but I think the school was right with the creator of the group.
On a related note, the description didn't accurately describe the story. - thidranki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good thing they don't put microphones in the locker rooms, or me and my friends would've been expelled the first week of high school. If its not going on on the internet (keep in mind a PUBLIC domain), then it inevitably goes on by word of mouth. The school may try to enforce it, but they can never stop it.
Does this mean they should stop enforcing it? At home: yes, definately. My school said basically "We encourage all of you to not use this and put up personal information," but we cannot stop you from doing it, and they didn't stop anyone from doing it. lol - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"I got a bomb threat at my best friend's school through MySpace and told her to report it to the counselors and the kid got expelled."
There is a large difference between a bomb threat and a MySpace Group about non-liking someone. Also, did that posting ever actually explicitly mention the act of hurting someone? It could have just as easily been a joke about the group. - uptown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1War Is Peace
Freedom Is Slavery
Ignorance Is Strength - hufnmouth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1In California, the school administration is responsible for the safety of each enrolled student between the hours the student leaves home for school (usually 7 am) to the time the student returns home from school. That means at any point in the day between those hours, the school administration or their designees have legal custody of these kids. If these threats and viewings occurred during these hours school admins can legally take action against any and all students involved. Is this action right? I don't think so. Is it legal? Probably. This article is missing a lot of information.
I work as a sysadmin for a California school district so this is definately interesting. - compuguy1088, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"This isn't unusual
Most schools will suspend students if they get in a fight outside of school (even if it's on a weekend, off school property at a non-school related function). Almost definitely if the cops are involved.
Sad how schools take that upon themselves."
Agreed, that there action to punish the creator of the group and the members of that MySpace Group was just, but suspending the people who viewed it is extreme, because they were not apart of the action, but then again, in my school, disciplinary actions can occur if you for example, were to watch a fight and to not report it. It could be similarly placed in this situation. They could be also doing this to try to teach a lesson to the students of the school not to try to do it by punishing the people who viewed it. This is basically a double-edged sword, there are positives and negatives of this way of disciplinary action. But this seems to be the general way that most middle schools, and high schools seem to follow - cameoex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Here is quote from a story about this from a local Costa Mesa site (http://dailypilot.com/education/story/38427p-57068c.html), Dan Diehl is the schools principal.
"Neither Diehl nor the school's resource officer, Jess Gilman, could specify how many people who posted on the site were TeWinkle students, although Diehl said the number was around 20. Gilman said that despite the severity of some of the threats on the site, he did not believe the student was ever in danger."
If school officials didn't believe the student was in danger, what basis do they have for expelling the student making the "threats"? I fully believe the school needed to take action on this, such as having a conference with the parents to address the problem. In addition they could do what my high school did when there was a large problem, hold a meeting for all the parents and students to address the issue.
It's hard to comment on the anti-Semitic statements that were made. It's a touchy subject. Is it the schools place to punish students for their thoughts at home? No. People are allowed to have their own ideas and beliefs, regardless about how unpopular they are(acting on them is a different story). Unless the students were causing a disturbance at school(passing out fliers..etc) I don't think the school has any grounds to punish them. If schools started suspending or expelling every student that made disparaging remarks about another student outside of school, we would have a lot less students in public school. Would I be offended if I saw the comments? 99% sure I would be. But where is the law that gives me the right not to be offended? - poipoipoi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1you guys are clueless. SCHOOL IS NOT A DEMOCRACY.
The threat merited the suspensions. Kids have few rights (and few responsibilities). It's harsh, but again, schools aint democracies. -
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