Porn Pop-ups Could Land Grade Teacher Behind Bars

Tech.Blorge.com ^ | March 2, 2007 | Tristan McIntyre

[SamAdams76]

This story is enough to just make me give up on humanity altogether. A terrible injustice has been done to a woman who is now a convicted felon and is looking at up to 40 years in jail due to something beyond her control that has happened to all of us (who use computers) at one time or another. Plus she probably has to register in her community as a sex offender too. Just great.

Is there any wonder why we have trouble finding good schoolteachers today?

Why the parents, school faculty and good citizens didn't rally behind her and stop this travesty of justice is beyond me. I guess everybody has been paying more attention to the travails of Britney Spears and Nicole Simpson.

[atomicpossum]

Moreover, who decided to pursue these charges? This would seem to be a matter requiring the discretion of the prosecutor, or is there some reason they cannot fail to pursue?

[somemoreequalthanothers]

And the slender blonde that was "involved" with one of here students got some probation or something?

[Robert A Cook PE]

The absolute STUPIDITY of the GOVERNMENT school system (BUREACRACY) is here displayed perfectly:

The teacher had no filter on-line, and "no policy" to keep one up.

She COULD have turned doff the PC, but POLICY forbid doing that!

She was PROSECUTED for showing porn (as an ACCIDENT while on-line - but no indication that she did it deliberately) because of the school's POLICY.

Zero investigation, zero common sense, zero thought. Just "POLICY" - and it was "just policy" that murdered 25 million Soviets under Stalin.

[ex-Texan]

I would bet that the students did it. This case should never have been filed. This woman needs to fight and sue the school district and local authorities after she prevails.

[sionnsar]

A terrible injustice has been done to a woman who is now a convicted felon and is looking at up to 40 years in jail

I presume you are working from more material than is present here. The article does not say she is between conviction and sentencing, and actually implies that she's not been convicted yet.

Nevertheless, that such could even be possibly going to trial illustrates the nature of the judicial system some here seem to think is perfect.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I've had porn pop-ups come up on my new work computer and the only thing I was doing on the web was a search for SAE material specs for steel and a decent periodic table for some training that I would be conducting the next week. The IT guys and my boss understood and it was no big deal. Sure they took a good look at what I was doing on the net, but I sure didn't get fired or prosecuted.

What they did to this teacher is absolutely horrifying. Unless they can show that she was visiting porn sites, they have no leg to stand on. The prosecutor has his head so far up his backside that it's unbelievable. When this is over, her conviction will be overturned and she'll have her job back with back-pay.

The school administration admitted the network’s firewall had been disabled because the bill for the software was not paid, which left the computer vulnerable to the malicious spam.

It was also revealed that the officer who inspected the computer in question failed to test the computer for infections or spyware. Alex Eckelberry, president of a software company commented, “That is a blunder akin to not checking for fingerprints at the crime scene.”

Who conducted this investigation, Deputy Dawg? I could do a better job and I'm definitely not a trained IT professional.

[freekitty]

The Nany government is sure trying to convince us that without their style of governing; we the great unwashed masses will go down in doom.

[mockingbyrd]

It sounds like this case won't hold up in court, just from what they have admitted. This teacher has a huge lawsuit settlement coming.

[patton]

This is nore than a little frightening.

[Jeff Gordon]

She is not yet convicted.

[EndWelfareToday]

Solution...

Close all public schools and teach your children yourself. Then re-educate the public school "teachers" and help get them started a new profession.

Just a suggestion.

[padre35]

As i recall, the computer in question was left on all day with porn pop ups doing ther thing all day.

That being said, the "relative harm" is small, however did she alert the Principle? Network ADmin?

Normally these sorts of stories are either loaded to either

A. Make the defendent look depraved.
B. Make the prosecuter look out of control.

I simply cannot tell which is which with this one.

[wintertime]

This woman is very likely innocent.

[Mr.Unique]

“That is a blunder akin to not checking for fingerprints at the crime scene.”

I guess that would depend on the crime scene.

[sweetliberty]

How is this the teacher's fault????

[L98Fiero]

"Who conducted this investigation, Deputy Dawg? I could do a better job and I'm definitely not a trained IT professional."

Indeed. This almost seems malicious. I SERIOUSLY question the competency or motives of anyone who inspected that computer and didn't check for nasty-ware.

[Doohickey]

The school administration admitted the network’s firewall had been disabled because the bill for the software was not paid, which left the computer vulnerable to the malicious spam.

Nice. Government strikes again.

[BMIC]

Indeed this case should be sumarrily dismissed. If there is any crimial liabilty at all here, it doesn't appear to lie with the teacher, but with whomever is truly responsible for the school systems' computers' security. It's truly shameful, that this teacher has been made the scapegoat. She may indeed have grounds for a lawsuit herself.