Off-School Web Sites

Just as kids have circulated derogatory jokes & drawings of teachers over the generations, these digital kids circulate their jokes, insults, & drawings using the power of the Web, where they can be viewed by everyone. They then share the URL (Web Address) of the site, so fellow classmates can appreciate their work. Often the URL ends up in the hands of a teacher. Teachers & administrators who are the target of the site report it, & threaten to file a lawsuit or to report it to the police. The school then feels compelled to do something. Typically the child is suspended or expelled, or college recommendations are withdrawn. But several times the ACLU has taken these schools to court for disciplining a child for actions taken off-premises, & in most cases the school has lost the lawsuit. It can be a very costly mistake-a school system may have to pay $50,000 or more in damages when it exceeds its authority in this area.

So what's a school to do? I would suggest they take their lead from a very experienced school superintendent in Bergen County, New Jersey.

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