Schools and student's internet privacy.

[Your Personal Sin]

In Humanities class we were discussing the topic of whether schools had the right to have access to the student's social networking sites (Such as Facebook, Myspace, etc.) and I thought it'd be an interesting topic to discuss here.

For example, a student joined a sports team and the coach required said student to be friends with them on Facebook so that the student would think twice about posting vulgar things, negative comments, etc. After a conflict arises, the student goes onto Facebook and posts something 'vulgar' about an administrator at the school. The coach reads this and the next day the student is kicked off the team for not upholding the schools reputation and not being a good team player.

So, is it permissable for a teacher or coach to require students to make him or her a friend on their social networking page? Should a school be able to bar students from participating in sports or other school functions because of something they said on the internet?

[Lord Setar]

I really, really, really don't see why students shouldn't be allowed to voice their opinion on their school and its faculty =/

[Casuatron]

That definitely should be illegal, and would never happen at my college. We were once asked for our phone numbers, and even that was questioned by a classmate.
Personally, I don't add any of my profs on Facebook, but I'm not afraid to say anything on my friends' pages who have their profs added.

[Lord Setar]

Casuatron

That definitely should be illegal, and would never happen at my college. We were once asked for our phone numbers, and even that was questioned by a classmate.
Personally, I don't add any of my profs on Facebook, but I'm not afraid to say anything on my friends' pages who have their profs added.

You pay to go to college, though, and using facebook just makes it easier to contact your profs. The college doesn't care what you do off campus.

Unfortunately, it seems increasingly like public school (especially in the US) is expected to parent the kids as well as educate them, and it also seems like they are caring more and more about what the kids do off school property - when they're supposed to be in the care of their parents.

[DeForest Kelley]

If your Facebook/MySpace are public, then yes, the school has a right to look at it. But if it's private and they demand access, that's taking it too far.

No, a student should not be banned from a school activity because of something they said on the internet (unless they committed a crime, like a serious threat, then they'd be kicked because of their criminal action, not because they said something naughty on the internet).

[Katia Candace Nightingale]

I don't think schools should have anything at all to do with their students personal lives.

Because they're personal, not academic.

[Herobane]

Leonard Bones McCoy

If your Facebook/MySpace are public, then yes, the school has a right to look at it. But if it's private and they demand access, that's taking it too far.

No, a student should not be banned from a school activity because of something they said on the internet (unless they committed a crime, like a serious threat, then they'd be kicked because of their criminal action, not because they said something naughty on the internet).

Well yeah, there's the law to be accounted for. I have a friend who has to use a fake name on Facebook because his state has anti-Communist laws (being a Communist is a fireable offence there, so if any of his bosses found his facebook, found out he was a Commie, they'd be within legal right to release him).

[Royal_Pythonx]

My school did something like that actually.

They went on the social networking site, bebo, found a student on it who had said some pretty nasty things about a teacher, pulled their parents in and told them about it. Before finding as many students on the site as possible, taking screenshots of their pages and mailing them home to their parents.

[Project Light]

Your Personal Sin

In Humanities class we were discussing the topic of whether schools had the right to have access to the student's social networking sites (Such as Facebook, Myspace, etc.) and I thought it'd be an interesting topic to discuss here.

For example, a student joined a sports team and the coach required said student to be friends with them on Facebook so that the student would think twice about posting vulgar things, negative comments, etc. After a conflict arises, the student goes onto Facebook and posts something 'vulgar' about an administrator at the school. The coach reads this and the next day the student is kicked off the team for not upholding the schools reputation and not being a good team player.

So, is it permissable for a teacher or coach to require students to make him or her a friend on their social networking page? Should a school be able to bar students from participating in sports or other school functions because of something they said on the internet?

Right: the school getting him in trouble over something on Facebook.
Wrong: requiring the student friend the coach or other school official on Facebook.

If you make something public, the school has every *right* to access it. You put it on the Internet for everyone, including the school to read. If you want to say something privately, do not post it publicly. It's common sense.
For the same reason you cannot streak naked through your school saying that you have the right to be naked. You can be naked if you want. The difference is you have to do it in private.

And, as it goes along with it, forcing students to friend teachers is forcing them to expose their private information. I see this as no different than forcing a student to get naked in front of a teacher. What you want to say to yourself and others is not something that can or should be forced into. I've never heard of a school having such a requirement, but if someone has a public profile and says something incriminating, they deserve to get caught. They should learn to use privacy settings before 'running naked' in public.

[-Lord Ikarum-]

I don't think it's right for teachers to force the students to ad them on MySpace, Facebook or any networking site. At my high school, a teacher actually got in trouble for adding a student just because they had a MySpace. . . That isn't right either, that's like saying "You can't socialize with teacher outside of school." My opinion is teachers shouldn't be allowed to force students to add them, but should be free to add a student just because they can.

[Lord Setar]

Project Light

Right: the school getting him in trouble over something on Facebook.
Wrong: requiring the student friend the coach or other school official on Facebook.

If you make something public, the school has every *right* to access it. You put it on the Internet for everyone, including the school to read. If you want to say something privately, do not post it publicly. It's common sense.

If you make something public, the government has every right to access it. You put it on the Internet for everyone, including the government to read. If you want to say something privately, do not post it publicly. It's common sense.

[Omorose Panya]

I would need to know that school's policy about that to determine it. As a student (in high school, I',m assuming), you don't have too many privacy rights. I don't see the need for the coach to make students add him/her on FB, though I understand kicking the student off for being vulgar. Note that vulgar =/= a negative opinion. There is a difference between:

"I highly disagree with the Principal's decision to (x)"

and

"OMFG I ******** HATE MY ******** RETARDED PRINCIPAL GOD I SWEAR I WANT TO RIP HIS/HER ******** HEART OUT AND EAT IT FOR ******** BREAKFAST!!! AARRGGGG!!!"

Think about it. When the team travels, the members represent the school. They can be disqualified for lack of sportsmanship and being generally shitty persons. I don't see why that can't apply elsewhere.

[Lord Setar]

Omorose Panya

I would need to know that school's policy about that to determine it. As a student (in high school, I',m assuming), you don't have too many privacy rights. I don't see the need for the coach to make students add him/her on FB, though I understand kicking the student off for being vulgar. Note that vulgar =/= a negative opinion. There is a difference between:

"I highly disagree with the Principal's decision to (x)"

and

"OMFG I ******** HATE THAT RETARD PRINCIPAL GOD I SWEAR I WANT TO RIP HIS/HER ******** HEART OUT AND EAT THEM FOR BREAKFAST!!! AARRGGGG!!!"

Think about it. When the team travels, the members represent the school. They can be disqualified for lack of sportsmanship and being generally shitty persons. I don't see why that can't apply elsewhere.

Since when were students expected to represent the school when posting on Facebook?

[In Flagrante Delicto]

I STRONGLY disagree with using anything on a private social networking page against a student.

So they say "Mr Whoever is a douchebag". Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Who hasn't said something like that in private about a boss or teacher or whatever? It's private conversation they had no business reading.

So even if a friend of the person gives it to the school they shouldn't have the right to use it against the student.

Public pages? All bets are off.

[Omorose Panya]

Lord Setar

Since when were students expected to represent the school when posting on Facebook?

If it's in the rules, then it's in the rules. I don't think the school should have to allow persons to be on a sports team despite everything.

Think about it this way: If you want a job, then you had better damn well make sure that your online persona is appropriate and mature. They do their research too. If they don't like the way you present yourself, then they probably won't hire you because they don't want someone like you representing your company. Like it or not, you represent that company by representing the kinds of persons they hire.

I don't see why it has to be different for a school sports team. Whether you like it or not, you have an obligation to be a team player and be respectful. If you have a problem with that, then you have no business being on a sports team.