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Principal Cancels Classes, Sues Over MySpace Prank
Earnest writes "A prank MySpace page has led to a barrage of lawsuits and the misuse of school resources as the principal targeted by the pranksters attempted to find the perpetrators. In 2005, students at Hickory High School in Pennsylvania created a fake MySpace profile of principal Eric Trosch. As a result, the school's IT staff spent about 25 percent of his work time dealing with the issue and finding the culprits. That's not all. 'Trosch kept at it, even taking measures that led to the "cancellation of computer programming classes as well as usage of computers for research for class projects." Now the basic educational mission of the school was being compromised in order to keep students from visiting these profiles during school hours (students were still free to look at the profiles from home, of course).'"
Reading TFA reveals that he's been sued twice now by the parents, who even somehow got the ACLU involved (escalation #1). The first time he won against the parents, then they decided to sue again (escalation #2) at the federal level (escalation #3). So now he's countersuing them (escalation #4).
Well, I graduated high school 6 years ago, from the school right next to Hickory High. It's not a big area, and when we say "IT Department" we usually mean one guy who manages the computer labs and the classroom computers, and student assistants. There's a district supervisor who helps out with big issues (I wonder if it's still Scott... he was a cool guy). Most of the technical solutions such as firewalls, etc. are barebones to meet bugetary constraints, so I wouldn't imagine it hard to bypass. There's only so much you can do on a limited budget with limited resources. I know my IT guy also taught two classes (there were only 4 periods in a day at my school), so a lot of the work was left up to the "technology assistants" (i.e., me). Hickory was a little larger than my school, but I doubt they had significantly more resources than we did. I doubt that there was so much going on there that the IT guy was stressed doing this "extra" work. Hell, we spent most of the time just trying to think of stuff to do.
--- At my sig, unleash hell.
I can block myspace using the $50 Linksys router I use at home, it doesn't require much equipment or knowledge. As far as I can tell, myspace also does not have very many IPs and from what I have seen they are all located in the same range. Though flat out blocking 255 addresses to eliminate one site isn't generally a good idea, it gets the job done if you're in a hurry or are an unskilled IT administrator.
:)
If you have access to a linux box, I like to use iptables to redirect myspace to something more interesting, such as KittenWar. Yeah you will still get a few complaints, but the odds are that your average myspace user has spent the last 15 minutes or so looking at pictures of cats, giving them time to calm down a bit.
Disclaimer: I don't like censoring websites, but have been required to do so in the past. Sometimes it's necessary, most times it's just some person higher-up using "the children!" as an excuse for their holy crusade. Ain't life fun...
The principal never should have allowed himself to get sucked into the prank. He gave the students, who were acting inappropriately, power. Have people forgotten how to deal with problems without destroying each others' lives (an "alternate education program" at my old High School would have meant killing chances to get into a good college)?
Statement from Justin Layshock's parents on why they brought suit
Original MySpace page created by Justin Layshock
To say the principal and school board are overreacting would be putting it mildly.No, spoken defamation is slander. Published defamation is libel. If a reasonable person would not believe a statement, then damage to reputation can not occur and hence it is not defamatory. For example, you could argue that a reasonable person would not believe a MySpace page purporting to be from a school principal admitting to being a paedophile, and so it would not be defamatory. I can say "George Bush told me that he has sex with goats" and this is not defamatory because it is ridiculous.
I care about what gets said about me online because it can directly impact my ability to earn a living and limit, in some cases, the opportunities I have for social and professional interactions.
Employers, clients, peers in various organizations all now routinely Google people they come into contact with. How would you feel if your boss came up to you on Monday and said "Oh, sorry, Brune - we have to let you go. See, a client of ours googled you and someone put a page up about you being a pedophile. I know it's not true, but the client insists..." If you're your own boss, how would you feel when a client tells you they no longer feel comfortable doing business with you because of certain rumors that are going around?
In my case, I'm finishing up my internship prior to becoming a therapist. My practice will be geared towards teens and young adults. Do you have any idea how paranoid people are nowadays about any adult their kids come in contact with? I do - I currently see clients now under the auspices of my supervisor, and I have had parents tell me that they have done background checks on me and mention some things about my past to prove it. It would be incredibly easy to sabotage someone's career by poisoning the well on-line.
So, no - ignoring it won't work for everyone. If we lived in a rational world with rational people where everyone took the time to consider the source, maybe. But we don't live in that world, not even remotely.
Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
- Mark Twain, Following the Equator; Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar
Creating a fake MySpace profile is impersonation. Talking about how the principal sucks is not. (Nor is passing around naughty notes in class.)
This is a very big distinction.
Slander and libel are not crimes, they are torts. The police don't care, won't contact MySpace, and will quite possibly be upset at having their time wasted listening to ridiculous demands. The principal would have to have the relevant MySpace information subpoenaed.
English is easier said than done.
It's easy to pass this sort of thing off as a childish prank, until it happens to you.
So, all you principals out there: when your disgruntled students exercise their right to free speech,
don't be a jackass and sue- Use this page, designed specifically for such an event.
The Japanese offered a great example a few months back. .
You want to your country to become a military super-power in fifteen years? You do two things; you legislate legal military growth, and you start brain-washing the kids you'll want to recruit.
School may have some cool teachers, and I did mention this, but it is also a powerful tool which is indeed being used to strip kids of their individuality and their ability to think for themselves.
There are better ways to provide people with education than the current system.
-FL