Should Indiana Senior Have Been Expelled for F-Bomb Tweet?
- Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:28pm by
Liz Klimas
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The free speech rights of students on social networks and the extent to which they could potentially be punishable by an educational system for what they say online has been cropping up more and more in local news.
Syracuse University recently discussed expelling a student for a Facebook complaint. In Nov. 2011, a Kansas high school senior was forced by her school to apologize, which she refused to do, after she issued a tweet against the state’s governor. In January, the Supreme Court ruled Pennsylvania school officials could not punish students for fake MySpace profiles they created of their principals.
Austin Carroll was expelled for an F-bomb laden tweet.
These are just a few cases, but here’s yet another example out of Garrett, Ind., where a senior has been expelled — just months before graduation — for tweeting the F-word. Indiana News Center has more:
“One of my tweets was, BEEP is one of those BEEP words you can BEEP put anywhere in a BEEP sentence and it still BEEP make sense,” said Austin Carroll, student.
Austin was expelled from Garrett High School after tweeting the F-word under his account. The school claims it was done from a school computer. Austin says he did it from home.
“If my account is on my own personal account, I don’t think the school or anybody should be looking at it. Because it‘s my own personal stuff and it’s none of their business,” said Carroll.
“I totally didn‘t agree with what Austin said but I didn’t agree with an expulsion either. I mean if they suspended him for 3 days or something, I would be fine with that but to kick him out of school, his senior year, 3 months to go, wrong,” said Pam Smith, Austin’s mother.
According to the report, the school tracks activity conducted on school-owned computers and laptops. But Carroll is saying he didn’t use a school computer to post the tweet:
“I didn’t post the thing at school but their computer is saying that I did post it, and I shouldn’t be getting in trouble for stuff I did on my own time, on my own computer,” said Carroll.
Journal Gazette columnist Frank Gray reports superintendent Dennis Stockdale saying the school wouldn’t punish students for things they said online on their own computer and time and off the school’s network. The Journal Gazette states that the tweet in question was posted at 2:30 a.m., suggesting it would be outside the school’s jurisdiction if Carroll had done so on his own laptop, as he claims.
INC states that Carroll’s fellow classmates threatened to protest the expulsion. Watch the local report:
According to the Journal Gazette, Smith believes that previous conflicts including other tweets that were sent from the school laptop may have targeted her son. INC states that Carroll will be finishing the year at an alternative school and will be allowed to graduate. Still, Carroll said he feels he is missing out of activities he would like to participate in, such as prom.
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Comments (37)
tolstoyx
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 9:35amMaybe they should pay attention to the language in the halls. Come on, I don’t swear nor do I approve of it, but this language is commonly accepted in today’s society.
Listen to any rap song or sing the words to Cee Lo Green’s most popular song (which he sun in front of the president.) I think every student in that school should long on to school computers and Tweet the word to this song. What could the school do then?
Report Post »eramthgin
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 7:15amThe schools are wrong! Except in the Kansas incident. The Shawnee Mission East H.S. senior did hers while on a school funded activity during normal school hours. It brought disreput to the school and was not right. She has the right to say whatever she wants on her time. School time is not private time.
Report Post »jdw2469
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 6:52amSo I guess free speech is really gone?!?! If he was using them in school, and being disruptive…. Yes! On his own time via his social media outlet… Absolutely NOT!!! I thought this was America!!!! Can we please take it back NOW?
Report Post »sacwoodpusher
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 4:02amWell, now that he has been expelled, I would encourage him to blast away at each and every faculty member, teacher and administrator. He needs to create a website and openly embarrass the school.
Rejoice! Free at last, free at last. Kid… You are not missing anything. But remember, revenge is a dish best served cold.
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 4:42am“I would encourage him to blast away at each and every faculty member, teacher and administrator.”
May not be the best choice of words in this era of school shootings : )
Report Post »Endstatism
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 3:38amEven if Carroll proves that he posted that tweet outside school hours on his own computer, he will have to take the school district to court. School boards and administrators whine and complain about not having enough funding , but they will spend ungodly sums of taxpayer money in court to protect their unconstitutional policies. And these same knuckleheads will continue to assert their claim to have authority over the student outside of school hours and off school property. Never mind the fact of the Constitution and court rulings.
Report Post »momof5children
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 11:32pmwhat he says and does on his own time is his parents problem! the schools and the government think they own our children. someone needs to teach the government that they don’t own our children!
Report Post »just another good reason to homeschool!
kaydeebeau
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 2:19pmApprently Mom has no problem – perhaps investing in a Thesaurus would be helpful or a subscription to Reader’s Digest to get the “ Increase Your Word Power”
You would think that with all the money being poured into schools, students would be able to spell and effectively use more than just 4 letter words
Report Post »mullethead2010
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 10:45pmOh, please dear! For your information: the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint!
Report Post »Blazer123
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 10:06pmThis school is clearly over funded if they can afford to pay someone to read students social media ramblings.
Report Post »TexBork
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 9:27pmDemocrats, insurgent Occupiers, Athiests, and White House entertainment love the F word. they even incorporate it in their family events.
Report Post »dragonfly_pat
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:11amYou mean like Republican Presidential candidate Rick Sanorum, who swore March 26, 2012 at a reporter???
Report Post »rottiesforfreedom
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 8:50pmIts just a word ; may not be best choice but we still have free speach . I think !
Report Post »THXll38
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 8:17pmWhat a bunch of BS. I bet social cons like this idea.
Report Post »Rocky_Top
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 9:16pmThis is part of a 1950′s or older comedy act. And it is a grammar lesson. (kinda) after several minutes of examples of the use of the word. The punch line is. ” with such a versatile word, use it loud and proud”
This sounds like a parenting problem. Even if this was done at school. Sure punish him for tweeting during school hours. Make twitter kick him off the site or keep your kid off twitter. The school should have no say in what he puts on twitter. BTW I have never used a four letter word. It just shows your lack of intelligence.
Report Post »teacuplee
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 8:05pmi think he should have his comp. privs. taken away by his PARENTS….if he did it from home. If he did in fact use the school comp. then I say the school called this one right…but if he did it from home it is the parents responsability to decide what if anything should be done…not the school…it is none of thier business
Report Post »spirited
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 8:03pmWhen the Vice-President is over-heard whispering in the Presient’s ear
Report Post »—>during a televised signing of a Bill, while on stage, after introducing the PresidentWhat that student did is certainly NOT a BFD !
SpeckledPup
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 8:01pmwith obamacare’s filthy BFD tshirt being hawked by that rabid animal communist obama in OUR disgraced WH, , this kid should get a pass.
Report Post »Byrdi
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 7:11pmHe tweeted it at 2 am on his own computer. This spying has gone way too far. What country did I wake up in?
Report Post »teacuplee
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 8:07pmAmen
Report Post »marine249
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 7:04pmhe white. uses the f- bomb. out he goes
Report Post »have you ever been around blacks [ m-f bomb. thats O.K. ]
Its Gonna Getcha
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 6:32pmBut this administration’s new T-shirt, “Health reform still a BFD” is perfectly fine.
Dear children of this administration, would you please stand in front of all the TV cameras and tell us what BFD stands for without getting bleeped.
Report Post »Erevesto
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 6:30pmBleepin stupid
Report Post »Frack Garret high!
Armyforlife
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 6:19pmFrom the sounds of it, the school issues laptops to students that can be taken home. So if he tweeted from that laptop and it is against school policy, then he is busted. BUT, unless the school policy states that students will be expelled for such activity, they had no right to go that far IMHO.
Report Post »jungle J
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:52pmsometimes the smell of sewage from your mouth blows back and gets you.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:52pmCan we go through all of the school boards and teachers email and twitters? If there is ANY bad language, hey I say suspend them…..wait, the union wouldn’t allow that would they. But they can terrorize our kids? come on, a little common sense. Did the kid at least spell the curse word correctly and use proper english?
Report Post »dragonfly_pat
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:24amI teach in a large urban school district. We can only use school email during school hours, and the district monitors our email. They block email from other email programs. This district has done so for many, many years. Teachers do not use profanity on our school email or we would be busted. Now, what we do on our own private email on our own time USED to be our own business. We were recently told by administration that we could be in trouble for comments made at home, on our own computers, on Facebook, on private email, etc. on our own time! Their reason for this is that any comments made to reflect badly on the school district are grounds for dismissal.
Report Post »kyrealtor
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:47pmBad taste, especially if frequent. But expelled? Then there are a lot of members of the military from private to 5 star General that should have been dishonorably discharged!
Report Post »Dave.the.Blaze
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:36pmUnless it was done from school equipment, he shouldn’t have been expelled. Sure, it‘s crude but I believe it’s Constitutionally protected crudeness.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:45pmIn school, 40 wacks with a cane… outside, no one hears the sound of a tree falling in the forest, if no one is there!
Report Post »WeekendAtBernankes
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:49pm“F-bomb”, offensive to some, expel.
“Infanticide is ethical”, offensive to many, publish.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:35pmActually the same rules apply for federal employees, soooo he abused it but was he warned first? Typically you get haulled into the office and get taken out to the woodshed, then if it is repeated it elevates to the parents.
And if it was from home it can be traced back to his computer…this is not a rocket science investigation.
One of them are telling a fib.
Report Post »WeekendAtBernankes
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:50pmSo the burden of proof is now on Twitter?
I think you missed the point.
Report Post »The_Jerk
Posted on March 27, 2012 at 5:34pmSchools are owned by the people. They are paid for education not enforcement. Time to reel in these tax sucking frauds.
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