RANT OF THE DAY
Sept 13, 2007 - There's a new name for it. "Cyberbullying" And, ridiculously, Arlington schools are demanding that students sign a "contract" that states they would not send harassing e-mails to other students. They would not instant-message. They would not send offensive digital pictures, download video footage or hack into another student's e-mail account.
A Pew Internet and American Life study released this summer found that as many as one in three online teens had experienced some form of harassment online.
And schools nationwide now are attempting to stop the scourge of bullying over the Internet — dubbed cyberbullying— which has become so prevalent that many experts say it is the most disruptive threat to the school day. Students as young as 1st and 2nd grade routinely are being asked to sign computer usage contracts, albeit in blocky print rather than cursive.
TT - Ridiculous, because they cannot legally restrict free speech outside of the limitations placed upon it in the classroom and courts have not supported their claims to be able to do so. Stupid, because in Rhode Island, the article notes, they plan legislation to prosecute students and their parents if the student is caught sending Internet or text messages that prove disruptive to school.
Ludicrous, because there is not a word about teachers who maintain MySpace accounts and interact with students outside of the classroom or who text message students with whom they have sex.
The Nanny Staters really need to get a life and quit being so goofy.
