US court weighs school discipline for Web posts
Court News 2010/06/03 21:25
A U.S. appeals court in Philadelphia has heard arguments on whether schools can discipline students for lewd, harassing or simply juvenile Internet speech posted off-campus. Two students in two different Pennsylvania school districts are fighting suspensions they received for posting derisive profiles of their principals on MySpace from home computers.
The American Civil Liberties Union says school officials cannot reach beyond school grounds to impose discipline. The two school districts argue the postings could be disruptive at school, and say they have the right to maintain order.
In a rare move, all 14 eligible judges on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday.
Legal experts hope the Supreme Court will clarify the rules in these types of cases.
