In early January, 2008 dozens of students at Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota were questioned by school officials about pictures of them seen on Facebook. Some were seen partying with alcohol present in violation of school rules. Thirteen students were disciplined including reprimands and suspensions from sports and other extracurricular activities.
The school stated that they were not trolling the Internet or searching Facebook for violations. Someone tipped them off about the pictures and the school couldn’t ignore it or look the other way. Should students expect privacy when posting entries on a social networking site? If you publicize your behavior, can you expect to escape any consequences? Or is the school overreaching by prying into your off-campus activities?
Take a look at “You and the Internet” on this site for further discussion about Internet issues and teens.
