Thou Shalt Not Blog!

[Mithshark 0]

Catholic School Principal To Students: Thou Shalt Not Blog

 

10.25.2005 5:25 PM EDT

 

Principal, fearing predators, tells students to ditch MySpace profiles.

 

 

Students can be suspended for a lot of odd reasons these days ? wearing "objectionable" T-shirts, cross-dressing for prom, planning elaborate senior pranks ? but a principal at a Catholic high school in Sparta, New Jersey, has added another offense to the list: having a blog.

 

The Reverend Kieran McHugh stunned the 900 students of the private Pope John XXIII Regional High School at a recent assembly when he told them that, effective immediately, they would have to dismantle their personal pages on sites such as MySpace.com and Xanga.com and any other blogs, or face suspension.

 

McHugh said he was taking the unusual measure to protect students from online sexual predators who may be lurking in cyberspace looking for personal information on children, including their pictures, diaries and gossip, according to a report in New Jersey's The Daily Record newspaper.

 

Many of the students were reportedly outraged at the school's attempt to regulate their home lives. According to the Record, a majority of them protested the new rule, arguing that it violated their free-speech rights and that the school should have no say on what they do at home.

 

"I don't see this as censorship," McHugh told the Record. "I believe we are teaching common civility, courtesy and respect." Popular community sites such as Xanga and MySpace got the school administration's attention when it learned that a student had communicated online with someone who lied about their identity, age and where they lived, though McHugh would not elaborate on the specifics of the case.

 

"If this protects one child from being near-abducted or harassed or preyed upon, I make no apologies for this stance," McHugh said. A diocese spokesperson did not return calls for further comment at press time. MySpace, which would not comment, is the fourth most viewed site on the Internet in the U.S.

 

Both public and private schools have made efforts in recent years to keep campus computers from accessing certain online content, but McHugh's attempt to regulate home access to social networking sites is reaching across boundaries, according to Kevin Bankston, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San-Francisco-based online civil liberties defender. Bankston said he believed the school's real motivation was to suppress negative comments about Pope John posted by students.

 

"If you look at the policy itself," said Bankston, "it's not preventing children from releasing personal information in a way that might be harmful to them. It's trying to restrict information related to the school and its staff on the Internet, including private communication, like e-mail. So it's a blanket ban on discussing school at all using the most common modern medium for discussion of things."

 

According to a copy of the school's Internet policy, included in the student handbook, while there is no prohibition on students having personal Web sites, there are rules when it comes to the school. The policy, which a source at the diocese said was five years old, says that because the Web is a "public forum with unrestricted access," the school "restricts permission for the posting of information related to the school, our staff and our students on the Internet."

 

It states that the posting of any information "in any format" related to the school "on any Web site, bulletin board, chat room, e-mail or other messaging system" that is deemed threatening or impugning to the character of another person is subject to disciplinary action.

 

According to the Record, some students had posted derogatory comments about the school in their online profiles. The paper quoted one parent, who had never heard of MySpace, praising the policy, saying that it fit with the reason she sent her kids to the private school. "They take the safety of the child into consideration first," said Mary Kaye Nardone, mother of two Pope John students.

 

A constitutional law expert told the Record that a case could be made that the school added the new restriction after families had already signed a contract with the school for the year. "I think it's a bad idea and I think it's probably illegal ? I think the students have some rights," said Rutgers University Professor Frank Askin, director of the Constitutional Litigation Clinic. Askin said he was not aware of any similar case, but added that there is no clear First Amendment violation because the school is a private, not government, entity.

 

So far, no student has been suspended as a result of the ban, and McHugh said he believes the majority of them have complied with the order.

 

? Gil Kaufman

 

Link

 

I'm actually not surprised that someone in the schooling business has done this, regardless of where at.

[wild20 0]

What?!! Kids have the right to blog. Adults have the right to blog! I even blog! The school should not be messing around in the kids business as long as they are not hurting someone. Kids blog to stay in contact and post pictures that would otherwise take eternity to upload and send via email. Blogging is a right, just like you can write a paper and keep it to yourself. Take away the blog, you take away a form of contact. If it were me, I would try to blog else where. Anywhere where they wouldn't know. You're not hurting anyone if the blog doesn't cantain objectionable content.

[xaetos 0]

Yet another example of the "genious" of the Catholic church these days.. (I'm catholic and all, not bashing the religion, just saying its a bit too.. controlling?)

 

I really don't see the point. There are some people, me for one, who "blog" to.. well.. write. Not even to share information or communicate, just to write things down somewhere. I probably wouldn't be alive now if it wasn't for blogging...though thats another story..

 

Thats definately against some law. I could understand if they banned it from school computers, but what people do at home is up to them, not the school. I think I'd actually change schools if they came up with anything as ridiculous as that here.. if not for the sake of blogging, for the fact that I wouldn't want to go anywhere that controlling. We have a blog-type site based here that basically every person uses, and banning it would not go over very well..

 

So I guess, if they're banning things that are talking about their school (in this case blogs), they'll ban forums, too? And AIM/MSN/Yahoo/any other instant messenger? Maybe the internet? Bahh.. I hope it comes back to slap them in the face.

[sarka 0]

Wow, that's strict and stupid. They can't control what we do at home, blogs rule! If my school did this I'd tranfer defiantly, not because I blog, but because I like to be fussy. Hoora!

[ZeroHawk 0]

One word to those students: REBEL! Set up as many blogs as possible! Fight for your right of free speech!

[Arigato 0]

What an inappropriate use for a position of authority, forbidding people to use something just because they think that their opinion is better than everyone else. If it were only a rule in school it would be fine but not allowing them to use blogs at home is ridiculous. I don't see how the principal could enforce this, it's not like he can watch everyone's computer at home.

[Saint_Michael 3]

well yeah its bad but you have to see the other point of view the adults are thinking that since anyone can read them, thus giving info about that person and where they go to school, they think it wil reducing the chances that someone will get kidnapped.it makes sense, but they should have donr it another way.

[believer 0]

this is a bit odd, if anybody really wanted to plan to rape or kidnap somebody they have other ways to do this not only through internet, I don't know how the admins of that school is thinking, this is just like telling someone not to go out because somebody might see him/her and plan something bad.Freedom - thats what they are trying to suppress

[Saint_Michael 3]

the catholic chruch has been doing that for the last 2000 years they are not going to stop now besides they have more secrets then any powerful organization in the world who knows what they are keeping from us.

[dontmaimyourself 0]

well thats pretty weak I mean what next 'no free thinking in schools' I hope no one in a position of power reads that I dont want to give them ideas. but hey thats the catholic church for you, but I feel thats a matter for a different thread. Anyway what are they going to do hire a bunch of people to search blog sites for anything that sounds familiar it does seem that schools are getting more and more crazy with the rules. dont get me wrong I'm all for rules the world would be a far worse place without them. I actually quite like the reasonable rules you know dont kill stuff like that but don't blog thats rediculous and I mean protectthem from what exactly individuality, free speech, a rediculous religion (again off topic slighlty). btw I'm not overly harsh on catholicism I dont like anyform of organised religion, to me (and this topic backs it up) religion is just another form of control.

[thebluekirby 0]

That's why kids have a "friends only" option so strangers don't go off and read their blogs. Jeez, it's just a journal. They can't ban kids from using stuff like that. It's like my site taking away the website I've been working on for 3 years...just because it shares a little personal information 0-o grrr...people these days...

[MaineFishing45 0]

REBEL! (ZeroHawlk) But I think that is crazy.... I'm a catholic and there trying to control everything in those schools... its pretty stupid.... let students blog, own sites and forums, thats like saying "Don't breathe air outside of school... I mean its common human nature! Give the blogs back, and stop regulating people lives, its like the US Gov. trying to get Google to force over its search logs and private info! Freak no!

Edited February 23, 2006 by MaineFishing45 (see edit history)

[htdefiant 0]

One word to those students: REBEL! Set up as many blogs as possible! Fight for your right of free speech!

Agreed. This is rediclous.

[kevlar557 0]

I can understand the staff not letting students blog in school, but I do believe that is unconstitutuinal. It violates the right of free speech. I know at my school, all of the blogging sites are blocked, and there is no way to get on those sites. I'm guessing there is going to be a large lawsuit agansed the school.

[Zythrix 0]

If the principal of that school honestly thinks he's accomplishing anything, he's not.

A: The extent that the issue should have gone to is sending a letter home to parents warning them about myspace.

B: I'm pretty sure they can't rightfully suspend you because of something you do at home in your time away from the school. That would be like getting detention at school one morning because you were swearing at someone's house or something the night before.

C:

It states that the posting of any information "in any format" related to the school "on any Web site, bulletin board, chat room, e-mail or other messaging system" that is deemed threatening or impugning to the character of another person is subject to disciplinary action.

The only way this could apply at all to children having MySpace would be in particular instances where the school is named. Based on that rule in the school's handbook, so long as the child doesn't mention at all the school they go to, then where's the basis?
I'd like to get my hands on a complete copy of that school's handbook and admissions contract.. as well as an e-mail address for the principal.

Just because it's a 'churchy' school.. doesn't give them the power of god. People have rights.