Week 3 Discussion 2 – Free Speech in the Internet Age

After completing this week’s readings, access and read the article below:

As technology continues to explode, we have seen and will continue to see more in the courts about student/teacher Internet speech. As of this writing, the Supreme Court has not rendered any decisions on this subject. (As I write this, we just learned that the Supreme Court declined to take up major appears involving student free speech rights on the Internet). We can only speculate from previous decisions on First Amendment rights how they might rule if they were to hear a case involving Internet “speech.” (Almost anything we read that relates to Internet speech mentions the Tinker case as a basis) The question seems to be, “Do students shed their rights to free speech at the Cyber-gate?”

• In light of recent news about “cyber bullying” and the newsletter article above, what would be your response as a principal if a student came to you with a story that one of the students in your school was posting derogatory statements about teachers and students on Facebook?

Your initial responses are due by 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday and should be between 200-250 words. The initial posting should be a statement of your point of view on the question, supported by the required readings.