School Negligence Via Texting?

[the_std]

A student in a town in my province was caught texting in class and had his cell phone confiscated. The cell phone was brought to the vice-principal of the school, who then allegedly read the text message, which was about a stolen car. The police were called, and they pressured the boy to talk about it, and the information he revealed led to the police recovering the stolen car.

Now, the grandparents of the boy are suing the school district because he has now been "blackballed" and does not feel safe in the city. They're suing for travel costs for when they had to drive him to a different school, and now relocation costs as he moved away all together.

So what do you guys think is more important? The boy's right to privacy (the vice-principal was wrong to read the boys' texts) or the right of the police to bring justice (recovering the stolen car)?

If anyone is interested, there are articles available here, here, and here.

[Greenday]

It's a tough situation. On the one hand, he does deserve privacy. On the other, he's a thieving criminal so I'm glad it got broken.

[lordlundar]

The thing is Greenday, he doesn't have that expectation of privacy. What he did was an electronic version of passing notes in class. The VP is well within his rights to read the message and found a crime being committed.

It's not the actions of the school district that is the original cause of the potential backlash, it's because their "little precious" was involved in committing a crime. There is no difference between this or someone passing a note on who to go to for a drug purchase and the info causes the dealer to get busted.

[Andara Bledin]

So what do you guys think is more important? The boy's right to privacy (the vice-principal was wrong to read the boys' texts) or the right of the police to bring justice (recovering the stolen car)?

The "passing notes in class" comparison is actually legally sound.

It has been decided, legally*, that it is ok for officers to check information on cell phones and laptops that are within a vehicle so long as they don't have to do anything more than turn them on and run the program to view them. They are, essentially, electronic documents and are subject to the same rules. If you have papers in your glovebox that implicate you, then you're stupid. If you have papers in a locked briefcase that implicate you, then you get a pass until they have probable cause to get a warrant to have the briefcase opened.

So, note to all of you who discuss your crimes electronically: lock your phones/laptops. The same goes for all of you who merely value your privacy.


*this is in the US, and I believe at the state level, though I forget which state. that said, it's a good precedent, and I expect it to become a common one.

^-.-^

[Rageaholic]

It's a tough one. I think the lawsuit is bullshit. The kid was involved with a crime and got caught. The grandparents are just pissed that he got caught.

On the other hand, I don't think anyone should have the right to confiscate your property (unless it's a safety risk). I always hated teachers who think they have the right to take your stuff and then keep it for weeks or even months. I'm glad the kid got caught, but it was an indirect consequence of taking the cell phone. Why would the principle care what he was texting about anyway? Unless he knew the kid was involved somehow, I fail to see why he'd need to know his text.

[Greenday]

The thing is Greenday, he doesn't have that expectation of privacy. What he did was an electronic version of passing notes in class. The VP is well within his rights to read the message and found a crime being committed.

It's not the actions of the school district that is the original cause of the potential backlash, it's because their "little precious" was involved in committing a crime. There is no difference between this or someone passing a note on who to go to for a drug purchase and the info causes the dealer to get busted.

Yea, but I don't particularly agree with teachers reading notes either.

[Ginger Tea]

Yea, but I don't particularly agree with teachers reading notes either.

"Let's see what's more important than learning about blank."
similar to
"Care to let everyone else in on the joke?"

Teachers don't like inattentive students, I grew up without a mobile phone, but I am sure some teachers will take a phone off someone and read what they sent/recieved to the rest of the class especially if it is embarrasing to the student.

or reply "I'm sorry I cannot come round yours after school to eat your pussy as I'm doing detention."

[Greenday]

I personally thought teachers who read notes out loud to the entire class were douchebags who deserved no respect since they clearly have no respect for the students.

[Andara Bledin]

I personally thought teachers who read notes out loud to the entire class were douchebags who deserved no respect since they clearly have no respect for the students.

It's the students who were showing a lack of respect by passing the notes in the first place.

Although the teachers were being jerks by reading them, if the students hadn't been writing and passing them in the first place, there would have been nothing to read.

^-.-^

[Rageaholic]

I personally thought teachers who read notes out loud to the entire class were douchebags who deserved no respect since they clearly have no respect for the students.

Sometimes they take it too far too. There was a time when I was writting down an assignment and had a teacher jump to the conclusion that I was passing notes. I got the cliched response "Is it something you'd like to share with the class?". NO! It's none of your goddamn business. Even if it was some note I passed, I still reserve the right to privacy. Glad I'm not in school any more because I wouldn't have taken as kindly to that.

I hate narcassistic, self righteous teachers.

[tropicsgoddess]

It's a pretty gray area for me. I'm all about privacy but there's an obligation to report illegal stuff if you see it on a cell phone (sexting, theft,etc). Served that kid right.

[jackfaire]

The theory is that if it embarrasses you having the teacher know what the note says then maybe next time you won't do it again.

I disagree with reading the note aloud to the class but here is a point.

What if the note you were writing was taking notes on what he was teaching and now he knows not to punish you for it.

But answer me this if your going to hold the teacher accountable for the student learning or not learning then why are you going to say he has no right to make sure his students are learning?

It's kind of like if someone made you the boss at work and cut your pay every time your workers slacked off but not giving you any power to actually enforce your workers. You couldn't do anything but ask them to work and they would laugh and You would lose more pay.

As far as after reading the note it is no longer the teachers decision what he does with that information.

It is an expectation that teachers report all crimes that they become aware of or lose their jobs. I know they are mandatory reporters in that if your going to hurt yourself or others they must report it by law however often times that seems like it can be considered anything that could hurt in anyway.

It is possible the teacher could get in trouble if it came out that he knew about the stolen car but did nothing.

[bainsidhe]

Phones/gameboys/distractions are confiscated because students can't be expected to put them away and not fiddle with them again. However I'm curious why the vice principal was the one reading the texts and not the teacher, unless teach brought it to the attention of VP.

I just don't get how they expect to win a lawsuit claiming endangerment?

[jackfaire]

However I'm curious why the vice principal was the one reading the texts and not the teacher, unless teach brought it to the attention of VP.

My guess is that they have had issues with confiscating electronic equipment and complaining parents and most likely the compromise was that all devices confiscated would be taken to the VP who is more likely to have an office that locks rather than being left in teachers' desks where other students could steal them.

Also usually electronics are returned at end of day when confiscated unlike when I was a kid where your stuff was confiscated and you didn't get it back until the end of the school year.

[bainsidhe]

Yes, I understand why the VP would have the phone, but not why he'd be the one reading the messages. I wonder if it was just curiosity or if he normally does that.