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ACLU Sues on Behalf of Pa. Student (xfer'd after parodying his principal on the internet)
AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/28/06 | AP

Posted on 01/28/2006 6:04:00 PM PST by NormsRevenge

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To: All
To all who support the Principle, consider this:

As far as the story goes, the kid did NOT use school equipment to create or maintain the website profile. Nor was it done on school time.

My belief is that the Principle misused his position of authority to ruin the kid as an act of revenge. If he should choose to sue the kid, that is one thing. At this point, the school system should have NOTHING to do in the incident.

I think the principle should be fired. A bully abusing his power.

And this is another example of our society overreaching with punishment that has NOTHING to do with the original crime.
81 posted on 01/29/2006 5:00:43 PM PST by ace2u_in_MD (You missed something...)
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To: vbmoneyspender
I've been a teacher in Pittsburgh Area county schools. Does that count?

I'm pretty sure it is criminal (local or state) to publish personal details without written permission, to defame, to slander and to mock.

Criminal vs. Civil matters to teachers because teachers don't get paid a whole lot, and the victim does not have to pay lawyers up front if it is a criminal case.

82 posted on 01/29/2006 6:52:52 PM PST by JohnCliftn (In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Good Will.)
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To: JohnCliftn

I think you need to lighten up. The kid got suspended and he earned that. But the principal wasn't satisfied with suspending the kid and he ended up doing alot more to the kid that was simply out of line.


83 posted on 01/29/2006 7:01:28 PM PST by vbmoneyspender
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To: skr

The article mentions the site as a "parody"...now, how about if this kid had a photo of the principal on his bedroom wall full of darts, and another student saw it and ratted him out to the school administration?..does this warrent punishment as well?...the fact remains this was not done in a school paper nor a school website, and frankly is none of the schools business, if the principal does'nt like it he can sue for slander.......good luck.


84 posted on 01/29/2006 7:07:08 PM PST by JABBERBONK
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To: vbmoneyspender
Say if a kid is sitting around his house with a dozen of his fellow students on a Saturday afternoon, and refers to his principal as a "fu*king idiot" does he deserve suspension too?
85 posted on 01/29/2006 7:10:12 PM PST by JABBERBONK
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To: NormsRevenge
It just so happens that I am taking a media law class right now, and for today we are discussing 1st Amendment rights in schools. The SC has ruled that anything done online even if it can be accessed at school cannot be regulated by the school. In addition a student from Washington won $10,000 in damages plus his $53,000 attorney fees from a school district after he was suspended for creating a Web site that parodied an assistant principal at his school.

Sounds like the school will be in a tough spot. I bet they settle this out of court.
86 posted on 01/30/2006 8:11:17 AM PST by Mr. Blonde (You know, Happy Time Harry, just being around you kinda makes me want to die.)
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To: MissouriConservative
School officials are not parents? School officials cannot tell parents how to raise their kids? This is coming from a leftist liberal group?? Has not the left pounded into our heads over the last 3 or 4 decades that the school is there to replace parents and that they know best? What has happened to the ACLU? And more importantly, why is this not the focus of the thread.
The ACLU's actually performing their ostensible mission here: defending individuals against government abuses.

My question would be what conservatives are doing defending a "village" mentality that gives the schools control over what kids do at home.

-Eric

87 posted on 01/31/2006 3:28:26 AM PST by E Rocc
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To: skr; EveningStar; Xenalyte; Allegra; TheBigB; BJClinton
The juvenile delinquent created a phony profile. It doesn't say that he indicated it was a parody in the profile. I hope the principal countersues and that a person's reputation is given due consideration. Freedom of speech isn't unlimited, and pretending to be someone else is fraud.
Ted Kennedy

Michael Moore

Dan Rather

John Kerry

Al Gore

-Eric

88 posted on 01/31/2006 3:44:46 AM PST by E Rocc
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To: JABBERBONK

what if the kid, instead, took an ad out in the newspaper and stated the guy was a drug addict or wife abuser?


89 posted on 01/31/2006 3:48:43 AM PST by xsmommy
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To: E Rocc

"The ACLU's actually performing their ostensible mission here: defending individuals against government abuses."

That is why I am so shocked. Usually the ACLU is on the side of the school against the parent and fighting to allow the school to become the parent. Now this branch is fighting against that.

It does make me wonder about why they (conservatives) are defending the "it takes a village" concept. Politics does weird things to people.


90 posted on 01/31/2006 12:04:03 PM PST by MissouriConservative (I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code)
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To: xsmommy

Not what happened. I just saw a movie called "The Chorus". The teacher leaves the room for a few minutes to return to a caricature of him on the chalk board and the student that did it still drawing.

He proceeds to draw a caricature of said student to the laughter of the whole class.

The cure for offensive speech is more speech.


91 posted on 01/31/2006 12:13:12 PM PST by at bay ("We actually did an evil....." Eric Scmidt, CEO Google)
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To: xsmommy

Please refer to post # 84


92 posted on 01/31/2006 12:55:22 PM PST by JABBERBONK
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To: JABBERBONK

Yes, if he's foolish enough to sue for slander--his frivolous remedy, at least he'll have a shot at Larry King like Falwell did when he sued for a parody of his family (and lost, I think at the Supreme Court level no less).


93 posted on 01/31/2006 1:51:23 PM PST by at bay ("We actually did an evil....." Eric Scmidt, CEO Google)
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To: at bay

A public figure like Falwell poses a more difficult target to prove a slander or libel charge against. Actual malice has to be proven. The principal was not such, or at least I don't see anyone claiming that he was. But the principal should have sued, rather than abusing the school administrative process which was not intended to avenge personal grudges.


94 posted on 01/31/2006 1:59:30 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck
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