I must begin by saying that the right of free speech must be protected. Every citizen has the right to express their thoughts and feelings. Free speech is key to life in America and is one right that separates us from the rest of the world. I support free speech and want it protected.
With that said, the world is a different place than it was ten or even five years ago. It seems that everyone above the age of five is on the internet. My nine year old daughter has friends on Facebook. People are connected through work, school, and social websites. People stay connected 24 hours a day seven days a week. This connection can encourage positive relationships but also negative. For a child or teen being bullied, it give no place to hide.
The article by David Hudson discusses the case of Justin Layshock. Justin was suspended by his high school after posting critical remarks of his high school principal on his Myspace page. His parents sued the school on the basis of free speech and the comments were made outside of school on his personal page. The argument was that the school should only punish students for what occurs on school property or during school time.
I do agree with the idea that schools should not be monitoring a students personal blog or social website account. A blog is the modern day diary. It is a place where someone can express their thoughts and feelings without being judged or reprimanded.
However, if with the violent attacks that have occurred on school grounds in recent years, some comments cannot be ignored. A school has the responsibility of protecting all students, not just the rights of one. When a student makes threats against another student or faculty, the school has a responsibility to protect them.
I personally feel that faculty and students should not be friends of social websites. While they are in a teacher student relationship, there needs to be boundaries. School officials should not read student blogs. The blogs should only be read when another student or a concerned parent discovers threatening statements and brings it to the attention of the officials. If the blog is not threatening, but still concerning, the parents should be notified and the school officials should step out of it.
Officials must recognize that while they have the responsibility of protecting students, they do not have the right to invade their privacy or place judgment. Often times, people say things out of anger or frustration that they don't mean once they calm down. Things get said in the heat of the moment and are often regretted. I certainly would not to be held accountable for everything I say when I lose my temper.
With our posts so widely available to the public, we must be careful in what we post. People have to take responsibility for the words they use. The methods we use to express ourselves may be have changed but the right we have to do so has not.
