Students forced to give passwords...

Not that I agree with the school admins practice, but... ummm... What's a 13 year-old girl doing with a facebook page anyway? My daughter wasn't allowed to get one until she was 16, and then I monitored it (and her friends) regularly.

Seriously - As a parent of 7 I take offense to this post. This is not about whether or not a 13 year old should have a facebook or not. This thread is about privacy of students from school big brother. All parents have their own opinion and should not have to read about your's when the age a child gets a facebook is totally not the topic of the thread.

As far as schools looking at kids facebook accounts or phones, I am totally against it. If something is posted, typed, done, thought about, or talked about off the school grounds, the school has NO RIGHT to know anything about it.

Not that I agree with the school admins practice, but... ummm... What's a 13 year-old girl doing with a facebook page anyway? My daughter wasn't allowed to get one until she was 16, and then I monitored it (and her friends) regularly.

Seriously - As a parent of 7 I take offense to this post. This is not about whether or not a 13 year old should have a facebook or not. This thread is about privacy of students from school big brother. All parents have their own opinion and should not have to read about your's when the age a child gets a facebook is totally not the topic of the thread.

As far as schools looking at kids facebook accounts or phones, I am totally against it. If something is posted, typed, done, thought about, or talked about off the school grounds, the school has NO RIGHT to know anything about it.

Would you be upset or grateful if it turned out that one of those messages that showed up on a student's phone that was confiscated read: "My Hit List" and had your child's name on it? Or your child's text message that was read by a teacher who had confiscated the phone said "I feel like killing myself"? I would be more than grateful, and I would overlook the whole "invasion of privacy" crap. Think about it.

Believe it or not, teachers aren't "invading" privacy because they want to snoop. If there is cause for concern -- ie bullying, or mental health issues, etc, then teachers are responsible for reporting suspected issues to administration, whether it comes from someone's direct mouth, off a sheet of paper in a language arts journal, or a phone. I teach language arts, and I have had many instances of kids pouring their hearts out on paper, some filled with dark and depressing words. While i have never forced a student to turn in anything they consider highly private, Last year, one of my students who was extremely angry and depressed began writing some seriously dark stuff, and asked me to read them and evaluate them. This is a boy who tried to kill himself in first grade, by the way. I did, and promptly turned them over to the school psychiatrist, who met with him. The boy was near the breaking point, and if I hadn't "iinterfered", might have harmed himself or someone else. I went with my gut as a mom and my training as a teacher to do what had to be done, privacy aside, to get him help. And ya know what? I would do it again. That boy returned as my student this year, and I am the ONLY teacher in the school whom he respects. He even told the principal this.

So, the next time some of you are concerned or get all hot over your child's privacy, think of that boy I taught, who probably would have done something seriously bad if I hadn't "interfered" in his privacy.

like others on here my opion is prety simple. Parents should moniter what their kids are doing on the computer and phone. Schools shouldnt.

I was one of those kids you didn't want your kid hanging around. And, I am telling you from experience, even at age 13, if I didn't want you to know something, you weren't going to know. So, no amount of facebook or whatever else would do anything. Even back then drug deals were never done on the phone. If they do stuff texting, that's just idiotic white kid crap that aren't REALLY bad kids at all. The bad ones will never text about a drug deal. They know that's public record. God, you guys think kids are stupid. The smart ones, the ones really getting in deep, you'll never catch them. You're cathcing the dumb ones that aren't really that much trouble. I guess thats one reason why this makes me mad, you're not even penetrating the real issue at all. It's just surface upwardly mobile middle america white kid crap.

Nah the really bad ones text about it, and talk about it and think police/teachers are stupid enough not to pick up on it. Then they get caught and realize well that was stupid.

It's not idiotic white kid middle america crap. It's all kids who are in gangs that make them think that it's cool to deal drugs, bully others and beat up/shoot people who don't do what they want. It's kids who have no home life or parents to watch over them. It's kids whose parents don't want to stand up to them and want to be the "cool parents".

I agree the students passwords are none of the schools business along with what they post BUT the next thing you know some bleeding heart will try to hold the school accountable because their stupidass kid bosted about doing something on facebook and the actually did what the said they were going to do. You then see some POS parent on the news saying the school should have known since the kid put it on facebook. Well la-de-da. the parents are the responsible party. When everyone realizes the schools are here to teach and not babysit and allow the schools to do just that without the moronic distractions then we will again be leading the world in education.

EXACTLY. It's "damned if you do, damned if you don't". Some parents will find any and all reason to pass their child's idiotic behavior onto someone else, and that's usually the school or a teacher. That's a lot easier than actually taking the time to teach their children right from wrong.

It's funny...so many people here saying minors have no rights, but I will bet you they're the same people screaming "babies have rights too!!!!11!" when it comes to abortion.

Looking at someones page is one thing, but getting their password is way out of line. My kids would be pulled out if there was nothing I could do about the password issue, and I would quit my job if it was the case there. What's next? Having to give up your banking password so they can make sure you're not buying something bad online or wasting too much money?

I remember hearing this at my schools: Once your parent picks you up, or you are in your yard and out of the bus drivers sight, it's no longer the schools problem. I completely agree with this. Not their problem or business. Don't want facebook at school? Block the site.

Most schools do block Facebook. That's why bullying goes on at home, behind closed doors. Because kids KNOW they can get away with it.

I was one of those kids you didn't want your kid hanging around. And, I am telling you from experience, even at age 13, if I didn't want you to know something, you weren't going to know. So, no amount of facebook or whatever else would do anything. Even back then drug deals were never done on the phone. If they do stuff texting, that's just idiotic white kid crap that aren't REALLY bad kids at all. The bad ones will never text about a drug deal. They know that's public record. God, you guys think kids are stupid. The smart ones, the ones really getting in deep, you'll never catch them. You're cathcing the dumb ones that aren't really that much trouble. I guess thats one reason why this makes me mad, you're not even penetrating the real issue at all. It's just surface upwardly mobile middle america white kid crap.

Nah the really bad ones text about it, and talk about it and think police/teachers are stupid enough not to pick up on it. Then they get caught and realize well that was stupid.

It's not idiotic white kid middle america crap. It's all kids who are in gangs that make them think that it's cool to deal drugs, bully others and beat up/shoot people who don't do what they want. It's kids who have no home life or parents to watch over them. It's kids whose parents don't want to stand up to them and want to be the "cool parents".

I said the smart kids.

It is white kid crap, actually. But, whatever. I don't care. My kids will not be sharing their passwords with anyone. That's all.

I don't know if some of these comments I find ignorant, terrifying, horrific, or just plain shocking.

I cannot believe that some people truly think it is ok to violate civil rights under the LIE that you might, possibly, maybe save a life. Just like I don't want my testicles cupped by some random TSA agent under the lie that I might me safer.

The whole "if you have nothing to hide" argument is pathetic. If you believe that it is ok have FB, cell phone, et cetra searched by employers / schools, ask yourself if you would let them come into your home and search through your drawers. There is absolutely no difference, a violation of your civil rights is a violation of your civil rights.

The argument is in no way about the appropriateness of minors having FB accounts, it is about letting some random stranger look through your child's private life. It's my job as the parent to the the nosy SOB looking into their private life, not someone I don't know and I have no way of knowing what their intentions are. No I am not calling all teachers perverts, but its a big world full of sickos and I want to personally know who is delving into my child's life.

Sometimes I start to wonder if this type of think continues if one day my child will come home telling me that it is his responsibility to report me to "mother government" if he sees me doing anything not approved of by current governmental guidelines. I'm sure some people think this sounds paranoid this is where we are headed when we start letting the government raise and monitor our children, insuring that they have their moral and ethical beliefs not the parents.

The last thing I'll say is that it is really easy to give up someones civil rights when they're not your rights being given up.

x

a school here has just recently decided any students with a facebook account will be expelled as it is a primary school and none of the students are 13 yet and would therefore be in violation of facebooks terms of use. Also my workplace includes in our code of conduct stuff about facebook we dont have to share our passwords but they manage to see what ever they want i dont know if its cuz people are too dumb to set privacy settings or if they have IT hacking it but people get fired all the time for bullying workmates or saying **** about the company on facebook.

a school here has just recently decided any students with a facebook account will be expelled as it is a primary school and none of the students are 13 yet and would therefore be in violation of facebooks terms of use.

But that's between Facebook and the kid. Why do the school feel it's their right to get involved?

Also I feel that anyone under the age of 13 shouldn't be on there even with parental consent. My co-workers 11 year old daughter (who I blocked) was cursing up a storm on facebook, and even went on a rant about how her "grandma was a b*tch."

This brings up a whole new problem. How would someone like to have their live totally examined because some angry, immature child posted some lies about their parents / family. All because the school wants to co-parent.

WOW! Hell to the NO. Did you read the part of them having to unlock their cell phones in the principles office?! WTF is that?!

I'd wreak havoc!

I have never bought the "so he can get in touch with me" excuse as a reason for kids to have cell phones at school. Why? Because as far as I know, schools still have those wonderful things called "secretaries, land lines and paging systems". So, yeah, still not necessary.

Tell me why children have cell phones at school ANYWAY... when they are PROHIBITED!

Yes the schools are overstepping bounds, but this is a parenting issue.

Why? Well, maybe so he can get in touch with me if he needs to. He keeps it off during school hours and turns it on after chool. It's allowed. I allow it and promote it. It's an extra measure of safety that I can communicate with my kids if we need to.

This this a serious issue for all of us who use the internet, do you think an employer should be able to demand your "private" information? If school officials have a problem with a child they should contact the parents, not go trolling FB to find problems that are not in school. Who knows maybe that councilor was mean as a form of entrapment, to provoke a response, we weren't there.

There is a action on aclu's web site about this type of internet privacy, consider signing because it is not just this case but the future of our rights in the US.

https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4264&s_subsrc=120323_FBpassword_ac

"TELL CONGRESS: Protect My Private Social Networking Information!
A growing number of employers and schools are demanding that job applicants, employees and students hand over private information from their private social networking accounts such as Facebook. Student athletes are forced to “friend” a coach or administrator. Job candidates have scroll through their Facebook page with an interviewer. Students face demands for their password so they can be quizzed on their sex life by school administrators.

It’s an egregious violation of personal privacy and it is often happening in situations where people feel powerless to resist. That is why Congress needs to step in. We need a bright line rule - if it’s behind a password, that means keep out, whether you’re an employer, a school or the government."

This this a serious issue for all of us who use the internet, do you think an employer should be able to demand your "private" information? If school officials have a problem with a child they should contact the parents, not go trolling FB to find problems that are not in school. Who knows maybe that councilor was mean as a form of entrapment, to provoke a response, we weren't there.

There is a action on aclu's web site about this type of internet privacy, consider signing because it is not just this case but the future of our rights in the US.

https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4264&s_subsrc=120323_FBpassword_ac

"TELL CONGRESS: Protect My Private Social Networking Information!
A growing number of employers and schools are demanding that job applicants, employees and students hand over private information from their private social networking accounts such as Facebook. Student athletes are forced to “friend” a coach or administrator. Job candidates have scroll through their Facebook page with an interviewer. Students face demands for their password so they can be quizzed on their sex life by school administrators.

It’s an egregious violation of personal privacy and it is often happening in situations where people feel powerless to resist. That is why Congress needs to step in. We need a bright line rule - if it’s behind a password, that means keep out, whether you’re an employer, a school or the government."

I guess I don't understand how "Facebook" and "Private" can be used in the same sentence. Private means between a select few, not "all over the internet and visible by many people whom I've never met before, or intend to meet ever, in my life."