http://www.thestylus.net/media/storage/paper1380/news/2010/03/03/News/Free-Speech.On.Facebook-3882695.shtml
Schools shouldn’t have the authority to restrict what their students say beyond the school property.
“College and high school students enjoy the freedom to make groups for just about everything on the social networking site, Facebook.
However, former Florida high school student, Katherine Evans, faced suspension for making a Facebook group against her former English teacher.
Evans filed a lawsuit in December against Pembroke Pines Charter High School on the grounds they violated her free speech, by disciplining her for "cyberbullying" her teacher.
A federal judge recently ruled that she can proceed with the lawsuit, which is backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.”
I don’t agree with the creation of a Facebook group to insult a teacher. Sure there are bad teachers out there but is this really the most mature way to handle the problem? With that being said however, I support Evans’ right to freely express herself.
Let’s look at this issue using a different scenario. If Evans stood up in a public place outside of the school property and began to speak out against her teacher would the school of the right to discipline her? I’m going out on a limb here so correct me if I’m wrong but, no the school wouldn’t have the right to take action. The Facebook group is an example of what thousands of students say about their teachers each and every day. The only difference between the two scenarios is that the teachers may come across the comments made on a Facebook group.
Students shouldn’t be disciplined for making negative comments towards teachers unless it’s a) being done during class and thus is disruptive to the other students or b) makes a direct threat to the life of the teacher. Other than that teachers should accept the fact that students are likely to act out in a manner that may not always be favourable or mature
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