Common Issues Today
Communicating with electronic devices and on the Internet at school is a big issue that comes up when discussing student rights today. Facebook, email, text messaging, Twitter, and even student blogs raise both new and old questions about student’s legal rights. Some of these questions are “Can a school limit what students do online? Must students give administrators access to their private text messages, photos, emails, and contacts on their cell phones? Do students need permission to videotape other students or teachers at school?”
When a student is using school computers or using the school’s internet access, the school is allowed to see what you are sending and receiving online. They however cannot demand to see any off campus internet connection, a user’s non school email address, or search any person’s laptop. A school’s authority to govern students speech only extends to anything that takes place on campus. The court states that students cannot be punished for any off campus speech. If a surveillance camera is placed in the school, the school can watch and record the students in common areas of the school but they cannot record audio of any conversation without the student’s consent.
When a student is using school computers or using the school’s internet access, the school is allowed to see what you are sending and receiving online. They however cannot demand to see any off campus internet connection, a user’s non school email address, or search any person’s laptop. A school’s authority to govern students speech only extends to anything that takes place on campus. The court states that students cannot be punished for any off campus speech. If a surveillance camera is placed in the school, the school can watch and record the students in common areas of the school but they cannot record audio of any conversation without the student’s consent.
To read more about student's rights and what they can/cannot get punished for on school grounds, please read the links bellow:
http://aclu-wa.org/student-rights-and-responsibilities-digital-age-guide-public-school-students-washington-state
https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/student-speech
http://aclu-wa.org/student-rights-and-responsibilities-digital-age-guide-public-school-students-washington-state
https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/student-speech