Myspace- Should Schools Punish Students for Profiles?

I don't know. On one hand, I hate that the school is taking that much liberty. It's kind creepy in a way. But on the other hand, the parents sure aren't doing it. Also, you bring up employers, and though everyone would be furious at that happening, the fact is, it does happen. All the time. And your employer is within their rights to do so. I don't like it, but they are within their rights. And what better way to prepare the students for the "real world" than by making the paranoid early. lmao

I don't think it should happen, but acknowledge that maybe it has to for lack of parental involvement.

But if you want to be like them, you'll have to emulate. -Ayria

I don't like the idea of schools punishing kids for what they do outside of school hours. That seems scary to me.

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Here's the thing - banning MySpace at schools and punishing kids for posting inappropriate photos is like putting a band-aid on a broken arm. It's not going to fix the problem - which is that nobody ever taught these kids about common sense. The schools think that by prohibiting kids from visiting a certain website, that's going to solve everything. No, it won't!

Do you have any idea how much information there is on the internet that tells kids how to get around the firewalls that their schools set up? It's one of the most searched for topics on the net! If they can't get online at school, they'll do it from home, a friends house or from their cell phones. Trying to stamp out MySpace won't solve anything - I guarantee it.

Instead, parents need to wake up and talk with their kids. Sadly, a lot of parents aren't technologically savvy, so they won't ever read posts like these... and because they don't know anything about it, they won't make an effort to start a conversation about online safety with their kids. But they need to.

Schools need to offer information or classes about online safety. They teach you how to balance a checkbook, file your taxes and type, so they can surely offer information about online safety... it's relevant information that NEEDS to be taught.

Social networking site like MySpace are great because they allow you to connect with friends & family and other people that you normally wouldn't have a chance to connect with. Knock-off MySpace sites are springing up everyday... so instead of trying to stamp these sites out, we need to teach the users how to use them in a safe and smart manner....

That's just my 2 cents :)

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Of course she's got a bias - check the handle :).

I think schools could help themselves by reminding their students that anything posted on Myspace or any similar site is PUBLIC. Broadcast around the world. In that sense, it's no different than wandering around the park with an open beer bottle, when the park bans public drinking. You wish to do something PRIVATE electronically (or at least semi-private), there are plenty of ways to do that.

Schools, I think, are entirely within their rights to hold students accountable for their PUBLIC actions on the internet WHEN THEY ARE DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THE SCHOOL - such as the portrayal of inappropriate behavior on school grounds or during school functions. The schools are also, I think, entirely within their rights to REFER ILLEGAL ACTIVITY to the appropriate authorities - as would any one of us who spots such things - and to apply such penalties as are appropriate under school rules to those who have been (NB) CONVICTED of formal crimes that were detected by more "conventional" means. The schools are, in such a case, MATERIAL WITNESSES to the claimed or inferred malfeasance of a person of whom they have personal knowledge.

The trouble comes when (for example) a person is using MySpace as a vehicle for protest or for satire. For example, using a sexually-provocative picture to lampoon or skewer a blatantly naive or hypocritical school policy. There, on the one hand, the poster is deliberately courting trouble and should expect it. On the other, the authority needs to tread carefully lest it be accused of trampling a right it is pledged to protect.

Schools and communities would do well to discuss, agree upon, and establish rules for conduct in the MySpace age. My latest dosage of funny mushrooms should wear off any time now. :) :(

Mushrooms now, eh? lol!
I am really torn on the myspace punishment issue. I do kind of like that schools are putting limits on what students are doing because OBVIOUSLY the parents (for whatever reason) aren't. But at the same time I don't think that suspension is the answer. Maybe make them do extra work or something but don't remove them from school. Unfortunately, this isn't really a punishment.
The part that I don't like is that schools are "looking" to bust kids. I just feel kind of uncomfortable with that.
Growing up I had friends who had those parents who let them drink underage. So if the parents are ok with it...

I don't know the issue is just weird. If the kids are doing these things in their own time then thats one thing. If they are doing it during school that's different, isn't it? If the students are breaking the law it seems like it would be more of a matter for the police than for the school.

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