Top Ten Rules That Govern School Authority Over Student

Cyber Expressions

Schools can and will adjust to the new challenges created by…..Students and

the Internet. Students need to know that school boundaries exist, even on

the internet.

Well crafted School Policies ….• Lay out expectations, define rights and

responsibilities, describe procedures and detail the remedies available if the policy is violated.

• Policies allow administrators to create a type of private law that governs the school community.

For Example…..

• A school with a long standing anti bullying policy may, based on its findings of an increase in offensive text messaging and emailing among students, amend it’s policy to include a prohibition against cyber bullying.

School leaders craft policies they think are appropriate, publish and distribute the policies,

and require parents and students to return signed permission or acknowledgement. School policies

then become the law of the school.

The following 10 general principles guiding cyber bullying

situations in schools have emerged from court precedents.

Rule1: First amendment provision apply to Public school students

The First Amendment

• Students have amendment rights• They have right to express opinions on

controversial topics• They also have the right to express them freely ;

don’t possess unlimited rights!• Schools have the power and duty to intervene• School’s purpose involves more learning than

debate

Rule2: Censorship is permissible if….

• Student expression reasonably suggests a substantial disruption to school activities.

Rule 3: Censorship is permissible if….

• Students expression actually interferes with Students’ right to educational benefits or substantially detracts from the learning environment.

Rule 4: Lewd vulgar or profane language is inappropriate in a

public educational environment.• Schools have the authority to prohibit lewd ,

offensive and vulgar student expressions from occurring on campus in public discourse.

Rule 5: Regulations may be imposed with respect to time , place and manner of

student expressions• Schools may establish standards to prevent

expressions that are ungrammatical, poorly written , inadequately researched , biases, or prejudiced or expressed in an inappropriate tone.

Rule 6: Regulate school sponsored expression

• School sponsored expression include those created as a part of the school curriculum or a school sponsored activity.

• School administrators exercise editorial control over student assignments, school publications and other school sponsored expressive activities.

Rule 7:Regulate school sponsored expression on the basis of any

legitimate Pedagogical Concerns.

• Schools to censor student expression for legitimate pedagogical purposes.

Rule8: Regulate Off campus expressions

• Only if the sting of the expressions significantly impacts the school environment may the school intervene.

• When school activities disrupt, School should draw a line!

Rule9: Some expressions may be restricted

• Expressions may be restricted if it is Reasonably perceived to be inconsistent with the “Shared values of a civilized social order”

• School’s obligation is to instill ‘Values’ and to teach ‘boundaries’

• School meet this when they allow students to observe freedom of speech

• But school should impart ‘Boundaries’

Rule10: Regulation of True threats and criminal activity

• Schools may restrict student expression that falls outside of amendment protection

• School need not tolerate criminal activities• School should decide ‘True threats’

References

• Educational Technology for school leaders by Lynne Schrum

• Google images• Yahoo images