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Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Law - Growing up online: Schools come to grips with technology
Making the connection between this ILB entry earlier today headed "Not law - On PBS tonight: "Growing Up Online" and law, see this excellent report today in the Muncie Star-Press by Oseye T. Boyd. The headline is "Schools come to grips with technology." The story begins:
HARTFORD CITY -- Banned or not, cell phone videos, text messages and posts on MySpace, Facebook and YouTube keep making their way into schools -- and schools are scrambling to keep up.More from the story:A recent fight in a Blackford High School restroom between two girls illustrates the kind of problem schools face. While two girls fought, a friend of one girl recorded the incident on her cell phone. The school's policy requires that cell phones be turned off and kept in student lockers during the day.
Angie Sharpe's daughter, a freshman, was involved in the fight. Sharpe has heard rumors that the video was e-mailed to teens throughout the school. She believes school officials didn't do enough to keep the video from being spread through cyberspace.
"The school didn't confiscate the technology right away because they said they've never dealt with this situation [before]," Sharpe said. "I was very, very disappointed in the school system."
According to school officials, the video was deleted by the student. Any videos of the fight that might be circulating are out of their hands, Supt. Gerald Chabot said. Administrators are looking at new policies to address cyber bullying and other ways students can use technology to disrupt school. Those policies could be in place next year.
"We're struggling managing technology under an old paradigm," Chabot said. "We as middle-aged educators sometimes don't understand technology the way that young people do. It is a part of their being in life today. We need to come to grips with this. Job one is education, but our students are coming to school with this technology."A sidebar to the story sets out the seven-point Jay County High School "policy dealing with misuse and abuse of cell phones by students. Students who use cell phones and their parents must sign that they will comply with this policy."Checking out rumors about postings on MySpace, Facebook and YouTube are part of Daleville Junior-Senior High School Principal John Junco's job. Many times, it amounts to nothing but rumors. Occasionally, though, Junco has disciplined students for things he's found.
In a case of cyber bullying, a student threatened to damage another student's property through MySpace. The student was called into the office and the situation was resolved. Another student posted comments on MySpace saying he planned to take a gun to school. Junco learned of this, and the next day the student was searched by administrators and police. Parents were called and the student was sent home for the day.
Because this is new territory, discipline is handled on a case-by-case basis, Junco said.
"The only time that I've ever invoked discipline is when it disrupts the school process," Junco said. "Right now, our lawyers advise there's nothing we can do outside the school unless it's being used during school time."
Realizing that technology and students' use of it is only going to grow, Jay Schools administrators came up with a tougher policy last spring. Implementation began in the fall.
"I had been thinking about it for a while mainly because I was watching what was happening around the country -- videotaping a fight at school or getting a teacher angry and posting it on MySpace or wherever else, on YouTube," Gulley said. "I kind of wanted to address that before it happened rather than after the fact. Our policy is somewhat forward thinking, but it's not foolproof."
Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 22, 2008 01:07 PM
Posted to Indiana Law