Student Suspended for Website

[Tami]

I agree with your points, David and yes those are major concerns - I know that the internet can become a very scary place, but again it\'s up to the parents to educate their children. Some of Mike\'s friends have been read the riot act in regards to what is permitted and what is not if they use his computer; one is no longer welcome in this house because of his misuse of Mike\'s computer. I think that while some unwittingly give out too much information, those who post spiteful things about their friends because of an argument, or about those they simply dislike would do so in another venue if they didn\'t have internet. Writing things in bathrooms, on buildings, lockers-that is something they would do anyway simply because of the motivation behind it. Again, it is situations such as those that need to be dealt with by parents, guardians, and in some cases the law.

[David]

[font=\"Tahoma\"]Agreed, although you have to look at it from this point of view in regards to the school systems: while your child is within their walls, they're responsible for them. Their actions can inflict negative or positive attention towards the school that they attend. An example would be Columbine, what is it known for? The first real act of school violence. Is that something you'd like Mike's school to be known for? (it's rhetorical, I know the answer is no). Now what would had happened if, hypothetically, one of Mike's classmates become extremely irritated, frustrated, annoyed, or angered by him to the point of posting as much information about him online as possible? Home Address, Phone Number, Your License Plate Number, Private information, etc... (since it's hypothetical, make sure you don't look at it as your own self, seeing as you're more than capable of handling these types of situations - that most parents are not). That's why schools freak out about certain things.

While at the same time, usage of computers at home are to be dealt with by parents/guardians/law enforcement if necessary. However, the information that was posted was obtained in school. In small rural areas, that means..quite a lot. Or even in larger communities, that could still make or break a school in terms of trust towards the staff members and so forth (inability to see possible threats/adversity amongst students). In the end, it's really a group effort between the school system, parents/guardians, and (if absolutely necessary) the law enforcers. [/font]

[Tami]

Oh, I\'m not disagreeing with you; I fully agree that schools should have the right to regulate what is accessed from school. At the beginning of the school year, parents and students have to sign a Terms of Use agreement or they are not permitted to access the internet while at school.

If many of the warning signs in regards to Columbine had not been ignored, or those who suspected what was going on had spoken up, then perhaps...just perhaps...the tragedies could have been diffused. Of course, we could also point a finger or two at the American gun laws (no, I am not anti-firearms) and the ease of access. Yes, I know-if someone wants a gun or ammunition they can get it, the same as with internet access, the same with slandering someone or posting personal information.

It is, as you said, ultimately in the hands of those responsible for the students-parents, teachers, and ultimately law enforcement. I do feel, however, that parents rely far too much on others (such as teachers) and on technology to keep their children occupied. It started with the baby-boomers when it was discovered what a great babysitter the television made. Now those same kids who were raised with a tv for a companion are raising a stink about violence in games and on tv, along with all kinds of other content. Are they wrong for caring? No, not really-but that said, I think that it all comes back to the principals and morals we raise our children with and the quality time we spend with them. Like every parent before us, all we can really do is try our best in raising our children.

[David]

[font=\"Tahoma\"]Yep, that's the reality of it all. I don't really blame the school for imposing a ban on blogging by students; harsh, but it does make sense. If that rule stretched out to one's personal (physical) journal/diary, then I'd be a bit more imposed against it. But, under the circumstance that it's for blogging online; a part of me feels that it's acceptable. And yeah, parents have relied too much on "the system" to take care of their children. Babysitters/Nursery, School, Technology are the big three that parents try to push their children off to. Sometimes Nursery's necessary (as they have trained people for certain development problems), but otherwise, it's not needed. Problem is, some people just don't know how to keep up with work + family without lacking in one of them. Thus, the dependancy. [/font]

[Tami]

Now wait a minute....\"sometimes Nursery\'s necessary\"....what if you\'re a single parent and you HAVE to work? Our social assistance system *requires* single moms to work once their children reach a certain age. What are they supposed to do with those children until they reach school age? Many other moms are not involved with social services and work hard to support themselves and their offspring and need daycare. In my opionion, daycare is no worse than a child spending all day in school. It\'s the hours outside of work/school times which are spent with one\'s child that matter.

[David]

[font=\"Tahoma\"]That's what I meant though. There are financial situations whereas nursery is acceptable by all means. But, you have to understand that there are some parents who actually ship their kids off to nursery just because they don't want to deal with them for 8-9 hours a day so they can peacefully watch their soap operas. In the UK, the government does assessments of children (under the age of five) to check how well they're developing. Speech and such can be taught in a nursery, paid for the government here. But by all means, if you're in a household where you're an already "at home parent", why should you put them in the nursery for 8-9 hours a day? [/font]

[Tami]

Under those circumstances I quite agree; if nursery school can help with disabilities then that\'s a good thing, plus in some cases would give the mom and/or dad a break they might not otherwise get. However in the case of people just shipping their child off while they stay at home, then no I can\'t agree with that. If I\'d had the opportunity to be a stay at home mom, I would have grabbed it fast. I missed out on lots of things at school and in Mike\'s younger years because I had to work. At least I was there when he started talking and walking....ohhhh how I rue those days LMAO /bigwink.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\';)\' />