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

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

[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

[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.

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.

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.