Student Expelled From Indiana High School For Tweeting Profanity

First time accepted submitter OopsIDied writes with the story that high-school senior Austin Carroll of Garrett, Indiana was recently expelled after tweeting profanity from his own home, writing "Supposedly the school has a system which tracks students' social networks after they have logged in at school. Although the tweet was done at home at 2 AM, the school decided that such behavior was unacceptable and that the most fitting punishment was expulsion. He did use a school computer, but it was set up to use the school network even when used outside the school because the school claimed the tweet was associated with the school's IP address." As usual, TechDirt has some biting commentary about the expulsion. But Hey, at least they didn't throw him in jail.

Comments

It's their network

[cpu6502]

They can enforce the rules as they wish (just like employers). Student should have used a private ISP, instead of the government-owned school network.

Re:It's their network

[residieu]

He says he tweeted on "his own computer", and it was 2am so it seems likely it would have been on the school's network.

What it sounds like is he logged into his twitter account later when he was on the school network. The school scanned his twitter feed and found his astute observation about the word fuck.

High school student != Expert

[AliasMarlowe]

They can enforce the rules as they wish (just like employers). Student should have used a private ISP, instead of the government-owned school network.

Perhaps. But should a high school student have been expected to know this?

Maybe they should have opted for jailing him for life. After all, isn't tweeting "fuck" an incitement to the masses to commit rape?

Re:High school student != Expert

[TheCarp]

You are sidestepping the real question though. He should know not to use it on the school network (whatever profanity is.... silly concept anyway) but... is it right to expect him to know that he is, indeed, on the school network vs home. Clearly he has a home internet connection.

I mean, for me with work, its easy. I am either connected to the VPN or not, and if I am, then its all through their netowork... but I do this shit for a living...I am not even sure if people outside of the IT department understand this.... but... a HS kid is expected to?

Re:High school student != Expert

[AliasMarlowe]

Yes a student should know not to use profanity on the school network, just as he knows not to use it in the school building. (IMHO)

Did you RTFA? He connected to his home ISP, but the computer automatically connected him to the school's VPN. So, at the risk of repeating myself, should a high school student have been expected to know/spot this?

Re:High school student != Expert

[tophermeyer]

FWIW The summary says it was a school issued laptop. The article doesn't specify, but as you quoted implies that it was a personal computer. Obviously the summary could very well be wrong, but it's also possible that the student is confused about who owns the computer and the article wasn't thorough enough to elaborate.

Also, the guy's tweet was hardly all that offensive. It uses a naughty word for sure. But in the context of describing how it can be used for various parts of speech, not as a swear word directed at somebody or something. Either this is another zero tolerance policy gone out of control, or this kid has other issues and the school needed a reason to expel him.

Re:High school student != Expert

[GmExtremacy]

not as a swear word directed at somebody or something.

I don't really care if it was directed at someone. What happened? Why do some people seem to have this mentality that someone getting offended will bring about the apocalypse?

Re:High school student != Expert

[Moses48]

If I bring my work laptop home, I sure as hell am not going to do anything on it that I wouldn't do at work. I know it doesn't automatically VPN into work, but it's still my work computer and should be used for work purposes. If the student has a school computer that should only be used for school purposes, that is fine. I still think the punishment for cussing is ludicrous.

Re:High school student != Expert

[jasomill]

Even if the AUP forbids it, who cares? In what fucked-up world could "a system which tracks students' social networks after they have logged in at school" even arguably be a responsible use funds earmarked for education?

Also, given that the student's transgression required special technological measures merely to detect, how could it possibly be argued that it fucked with the school's educational mission to a degree that merits such a "last resort" as expulsion?

Then again, while it's hard to imagine this being the idea, "don't trust technology you don't control, and don't enter into agreements you don't understand, because they'll be used to fuck you in the end" might be a more useful lesson than those he's missing.

Re:High school student != Expert

[ohnocitizen]

The real issue is the profanity, not what he did. If the headline had read "school expels student for swearing in class" there would be no technological boogie man to focus attention on. There would only be the issue itself: a student is being denied an education because he used a word the principal didn't like.

No...

[Anonymous Coward]

Using profanity in the halls, cafeteria, and buses is safe, because such incidents are not visible to parents, school board members, or the general public.

Twitter, however, is visible to the whole world, so anything undesirable must be just as visibly punished.

Re:No...

[Roger W Moore]

Twitter, however, is visible to the whole world, so anything undesirable must be just as visibly punished.

Correct - so when did the punishment for swearing become expulsion? They are a school after all - don't they have a duty to educate? Require a public apology (via the same medium) and a publicly visible punishment like picking up litter from the school grounds. That sends the message, both to the pupil and the student body, that swearing is not tolerated and that rules are enforced. Expelling him for a minor offence like this sends the message that the school is vindictive and unreasonable and it completely undermines any moral authority they have.

Who cares?

[webheaded]

All issues of who own what aside, honestly, who gives a fuck what the kid said unless it was like...death threats? Seriously...why would you expel someone for using profanity in the first place? A stern talking to, perhaps, but expulsion for this? Good lord.

Re:Good life lesson

[tnk1]

That said expulsion might seem a bit harsh, but we really don't know what else this kid has done or not done.

This.

In my mind, expulsion for this is the right punishment only if the student has a long record of other issues, including a suspension or maybe two. If so, I think it would be okay to expel him for even just spitting on the school sidewalk. If not, this is a ridiculous and difficult to understand result from a public school. Hell, I doubt even private schools are this punitive.

Swearing is bad manners and should be discouraged as a way of maintaining order and courtesy, but as far as I know, it has never impeded the learning of anyone or those around them. I sincerely hope this isn't some over-the-top punishment, and is instead, a measured reaction to a chain of incidents.

After reading things like this...

[bmo]

...and stories like the assistant principal at a Lower Merion PA school district spying through the webcam on student issued laptops (remember that?), I have to say one thing about student-issued laptops:

Laptops are cheap enough. Use your own. Treat the school issued one as toxic. Refuse it.

They are simply too dangerous to even turn on.

And those in authority wonder why they are distrusted.

--
BMO