Students expelled or suspended after calling a teacher a pedophile on facebook

[Greenday]

In court then? Yes, instead of just giving them detention or suspending them, let's give the kid a REAL record!

[Rapscallion]

DrF? From what you say your situation was completely wrong. However, there's also the option that the actions taken by the student in this were also completely wrong.

I think it's a fairly simple case of students knowing their rights, but not knowing their responsibilities. "I can call him a name that will get him lynched if the wrong people hear it, but nobody can do anything to me."

What the student did was libel, plain and simple. If he had nothing to back up his claims, and those are serious claims, he's attempting defamation of character. Hopefully he and his classmates will grow up and realise there are consequences.

Rapscallion

[Rapscallion]

While I do agree that what these students said was wrong, I don’t believe they should be punished for what they did. They need to be disciplined, sure, but the school should not have a right to get involved. This is a very fine line we’re talking about.

From the article.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this. As an employer, there's a duty of care to your employees for dangers faced when performing their work. One of those is the chance that students could take the word 'no' badly and start a very nasty rumour, the sort of thing that could bring the teacher and school into disrepute. There's no reason a teacher should have to put up with this bullshit unless it's proven to be a genuine allegation. We're talking about things that have a chance of ruining careers, not just calling someone a 'boogerhead'.

Rapscallion

[protege]

Thought I'd throw this in here...

Something like this happened in the school district my dad works for. From what I understand, a student got upset because she failed a class...because she didn't bother doing her homework. This bitch, and I'm being nice, decided to get even with the teacher...and claimed that the guy "touched her inappropriately." By the time the truth came out, the teacher's career was basically destroyed. Not only does he get the "sex offender" label, but he can't even apply for teaching jobs, nor can he get his old job back. Last I heard, he was trying to sue the bitch's family for punitive damages.

[Andara Bledin]

I looked up one of my old band instructors recently, to find out that someone at the school he currently teaches band and math at had made allegations of inappropriate touching.

It turns out that the girl in question wanted to "punish" him for giving her a bad grade. This is something that needs to be punished swiftly and as publicly as can be done without doing too much damage to the kids involved so that everybody knows that it's not acceptable. Ever.

^-.-^

[Eisa]

Yeah, that is why it's fucked up. If it's not true, it will completely destroy the teacher's life.

Now, if it actually was true, then hell yes, don't stay silent.

But it sounds like they were just pissed off at the teacher. And exactly--calling someone a pedophile is libel unless you know they actually are. It's way different than, say, calling your teacher a jackass or something.

[DrFaroohk]

There's also the possibility the teacher just plain deserved it. Maybe he falsely accused the kid of cheating on his test (which can haunt you for a long time) and the kid just said "hey, this is what it feels like to be falsely accused of shit you didn't do and how it can ruin the rest of your life."

[kibbles]

There's also the possibility the teacher just plain deserved it. Maybe he falsely accused the kid of cheating on his test (which can haunt you for a long time) and the kid just said "hey, this is what it feels like to be falsely accused of shit you didn't do and how it can ruin the rest of your life."

Being falsely accused of cheating on a test cannot ruin your reputation forever and potentially land you in jail.

[DrFaroohk]

Being falsely accused of cheating on a test cannot ruin your reputation forever and potentially land you in jail.

Yes, but when someone wrongs you, you must be prepared to retaliate 1,000 fold.

And couldn't that stick on your record? Go to get into college, oh wait, it says here you were caught cheating, you don't get into this school!

[the_std]

Yes, but when someone wrongs you, you must be prepared to retaliate 1,000 fold.

No... That's not the way a logical society functions. If everyone retaliated 1000 fold to any wrong, any slight, our civilization would no longer function.

And couldn't that stick on your record? Go to get into college, oh wait, it says here you were caught cheating, you don't get into this school!

So you're saying that not getting into a college is worth sending someone to jail for?

[AdminAssistant]

And couldn't that stick on your record? Go to get into college, oh wait, it says here you were caught cheating, you don't get into this school!

Not unless a notation was made on your transcript, which usually only occurs in severe cases of plagiarism.

That said, these kids deserve everything that they get. How awful. I just hope that the teacher's career is not harmed.

[linguist]

Yes, but when someone wrongs you, you must be prepared to retaliate 1,000 fold.

Retaliate? Maybe, if it's taken through appropriate channels. To go onto a public forum and accuse someone of pedophilia though is an indication of having absolutely no moral compass whatsoever.

And couldn't that stick on your record? Go to get into college, oh wait, it says here you were caught cheating, you don't get into this school!

In middle school, such as these kids? Absolutely not. In high school, maybe, but that's a big maybe. The "permanent record" is a myth. Most colleges only look at GPA, class rank, and entrance exam scores.

You know what can keep you out of college, though? Having yourself or your family sued into bankruptcy by the person you falsely accused.

[blas87]

Ya know, when I hated this one teacher enough, I wrote a note to a friend calling him a "Fucking Asshole" and of course I got caught.

But that was good enough for me, at least he knew how I felt, and he was an asshole. I didn't go online and call him a pedophile. I felt better knowing I got that out.

[FArchivist]

I disagree with even a detention. If it's just name calling, and off school property, it's none of the school's damn business.

I think it's of concern when it is quite possible that due to the student's pronouncement of pedohpilia, said teacher can be suspended without pay for the duration of an investigation, with his/her entire life turned upside down. But then, I live in a state where the sex offender laws are ridiculous to the point of frightening.

Perfect example: If you are caught taking a piss behind a tree or a building or what not, you WILL be arrested and charged as a sex offender. If convicted, it's a misdemeanor charge...but you also get the label of "sex offender" on you for life, are registered on the sex offender list with all the pedophiles, and have the same living restrictions that they do (which is cannot live anywhere within 1000 [or 1500, I forget] feet of a church, school. playground, daycare, etc).

Yes, but when someone wrongs you, you must be prepared to retaliate 1,000 fold.

Wait, what is this? "You stabbed me so I'll nuke you." philosophy? Err, no. Due process, ban against cruel and unusual punishment, etc....we have LEGAL methods for dealing with these issues.

And couldn't that stick on your record? Go to get into college, oh wait, it says here you were caught cheating, you don't get into this school!

No, actually, that rarely happens. If at all.

[Hyena Dandy]

Yes, but when someone wrongs you, you must be prepared to retaliate 1,000 fold.

Uhh...

Wha...

When does that make se...

I...

Are you being sarcastic?