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Be careful what you say, even on the internet
Filed under: Teens, In The News, Day Care & Education
There's a very good rule of thumb you might have heard from your own parents, once upon a time. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Avery Doninger, a senior at Lewis S. Mills High School in Connecticut didn't follow that advice and is now paying the price. After writing a post on her blog calling school officials "douchebags", she has been barred from being reelected as class secretary and cannot speak at her graduation ceremony. Because of her post, it was decided that she represented a "foreseeable risk of substantial disruption" and therefore could no longer hold her position.Since the post was written outside of school, Doninger and her mother filed suit, believing that the school had violated her first amendment rights. The case has made it through the U.S. Court of Appeals which said that offensive speech, while a right of adults, "may legitimately give rise to disciplinary action by a school" especially if the school is expected to teach kids "the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior." In addition, the court decided that being class secretary was a privilege that could be taken away.
Some are concerned that this sets a dangerous precedent, since the girl's post made no threats. It seems to me that students should have the right to say what they want on their personal websites, but that they have to understand that there may be repercussions for doing so. There are also much better ways to make one's point than with vulgar names, something most teens, however, have yet to learn.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-03-2008 @ 11:22AM
ame s said...How disappointing that a class secretary couldn't find a better way to express her anger. I side with the school on this one.
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6-03-2008 @ 11:29AM
Jenn said...Have to agree with ame s. I see nothing wrong with the school's action.
This is the real world after all. You can be fired by your company for making statements about your employer on your blog. You can be denied a job based on what potential employers see on your MySpace, Facebook, or blog. So I think it is perfectly reasonable that the same rules should apply.
Now, if she had presented a calm, reasoned opinion regarding the actions of the school officials, rather than resorting to childish name-calling (or had the sense to make her post private), that would be another story.
Reply
6-03-2008 @ 11:40AM
ninainindia said...I am on the side of the girl, The fact is that the school is not her employer and she is not an adult. She has a right to voice her opinion, even if it was written in a very childish manner.
Not letting her do the speech sounds like the school silencing her and her opinions. Children should be taught that it is good to form your own opinion about things and stand behind it even if others (possibly your boss) disagree with you.
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6-03-2008 @ 12:01PM
patgalvin said...That should teach her what "Freedom of Speech" really means. This is unbelievable. She has every right to state her opinions. Childish or not. This is America and we are becoming cry babies over every little thing said. Maybe those people are what she said. What did they do that made her say those things. I don't see them being punished.
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6-03-2008 @ 12:29PM
3FC said...She didn't get kicked out of school or lose any rights, which is all freedom of speech should really protect.
You can speak whatever you'd like, however it doesn't prevent you from losing friends, making enemies, or in this case, losing privileges.
If she were a classmate of mine, I would be pretty upset that she is allowed to publicly make comments like that, and still hold a position on the student board or speak at graduation.
I understand being upset and venting, but she made a poor decision and instead of realizing that and apologizing (not for the comments, but for how they were made), she decides to fight it.
I don't like people who think they can do whatever they want and have no repercussions, and I definitely don't think they should hold a higher position than other students (which is what a member of the student counsel does)
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6-03-2008 @ 12:30PM
3FC said...Lol, maybe those people are what she said... or maybe she's the douchebag. What would happen if the principle posted that she was a douchebag, on his public blog?
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6-03-2008 @ 1:39PM
Amy said...I side with the school. Kids need to be taught good manners and going off to sout abuses does not constitute good manners. She has a right to free speech but she should accept the consequences that come from it. Sharing opinions, ideas, thoughts doesn't just end there, if it needs to be called into question then it should be and that is what the school has done. If she calls one of her parents a douchebag, I wonder what they would do.
If we keep letting children get away with bad behaviour in the name of rights then the world will continue to hurt from it. The teacher who stood that five year old in front of the class and encouraged them to spout abuses at them may also claim that she was helping their exercise free speech. It doesn't take much for a child to morph into that teacher.
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6-04-2008 @ 10:18AM
Christy said...Just because we have Freedom of Speech does not mean it protects us from the ramifications of what we say. To be a member of the school councel a child should have morals, values, know right from wrong etc. When we speak we have options of how to word what we want to say. She worded hers disrespectfully and now will have to deal with it. I think the school was right to remove her from her position. Children in high school are supposed to be learning what the real world is like. By leaving her in the position of Secretary will be telling her that it is ok to say whatever you want without consequence. That is just not how the world works.
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6-10-2008 @ 12:50AM
Debbie Morgan said...I have to agree with most of the other posts. This girl is learning at a very young age that freedom of speech is a right we all enjoy here in the good 'ol USA but with unbridled speech comes uncomfortable consequences. There are times and places to share negative comments, thoughts and opinions but unfortunately, even some adults haven't learned when to let these out and have suffered for it. I think the title of this article caught my eye because our teens are on the internet a lot and unsupervised. As a web site owner with products that are focused on safety, I'm concerned that our teens are vulnerable to predators. Our kids, like this young lady, are very open with their thoughts and predators take advantage of that. Parents need to be vigilant in monitoring what their teens are doing on the net. They can easily do that with a keylogger. I didn’t know this product existed until I started searching for safety products. I have made the KEYkatcher available on my site. If you want to know more, simply click on my name and it will take you to my site, then click on KEYKatcher in the menu. As a parent of three grown children, we need all the help we can get.
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