Schools Punishing Kids for What They Say Online

By Shawn Healy

An evolving issue in the domain of First Amendment law concerns free speech in a school setting during the Information Age. More specifically, student activity in cyberpace has come under scrutiny from administrators, school boards, state legislators, and even Congress. Social networking sites and web logs are the most prominent targets, and the tendency is to legislate and create rules for the lowest common denominator, irrespective of the First Amendment. Punitive measures are the knee-jerk reactions of adminstrators and legislators bent on resolving problems with blanket solutions that fail to address the root cause of the problem. A story in the October 1 version of the Indianapolis Star thoroughly illustrates this point.

Students' First Amendment rights do not end at the schoolhouse gate, and the ability of authorities to punish them for behavior that occurs offsite is even more nebulous. Court involvement may be necessary to restore the balance between student rights and administrative perogative, but best practice guidelines are also needed. Moreover, parents and educators alike need to teach students about the dangers lurking in the online universe, not to mention legal issues like obscenity and libel. We do students a great injustice when we cut them off from an outside world they will soon inhibit. Responsible, not restricted, internet access should stand as our societal goal.