Student Electronic Posts Online (In Public Or Private Groups, Chats, And Texts) Are Not Really Private And May Bring Punishment
By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 Students frequently post things online, make snarky comments to friends, and feel protected posting in "private" online forums, such as Snapchat , Facebook , Twitter , Instagram or otherwise. However, these posts can come back to haunt them when they are called in and suspended or placed up for expulsion. Even great kids can post something wrong sometime--and "get away with it," but how long can their luck last? For some- the answer is not long enough. In recent months, I have seen more and more kids up for expulsion or suspension for posts or comments in electronic media. This is really disturbing as some of the things I see students being punished for really do not support school discipline. Schools also seem to now be lumping student groups together for punishment, rather than looking at individual culpability. Staff are choosing to punish all student members of a private grou...