School authority has no limits in new Britain
New Britain student disciplined for profanities on Web site
Administrators at New Britain High School in the New Britain Consolidated School District don’t believe that their authority stops at the school door. They have suspended and disciplined senior student Daniel Gostin, 18, for the contents of his personal website.
A New Britain High School drum major has enlisted the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut after he was disciplined for posting a profanity-laced entry in an online journal.
Daniel Gostin, 18, a senior, was stripped of his drum major position, given an in-school suspension and barred from participating in music-related extracurricular activities and performances for the remainder of the year.
The posting in question was a rant aimed primarily at the band director for canceling several band activities. Gostin’s lawyers will be demanding his disciplinary record be expunged and that he be reinstated in the school band.
Contact information:
Superintendent of Schools Doris Kurtz
Principal Dr. Thomas Reale
(Tip credit to Bumper)
I can understand telling him to delete the entry and giving him detentions for repeat offenses. Especially considering this is only enforced if a child reports the incident. Administrators seem fanatically obcessed with making students responsible for crazy abuse. If a kid doesn’t report it, they don’t notice; like this one which is unlikely to result in any discipline. No wonder kids can’t follow the rules.
New Britain police have launched an investigation following an earlier, more threatening entry on the Web site that promises a “homicidal spree” and “long, torturous death,” presumably targeting fellow members of the band.
Kids need some forum to vent, that is all it is. The school had no right at all to punish him. unless he actually threatend a student in the class.
Test
another test
Travis, I think it’s good for kids to vent and I don’t think there was a credible threat. My point was one kid gets the entire book thrown at him for cussing, while the police investigate something else silly. What a waste of time. I do believe if they are using school resources they can be told to delete it and quit being rude.
Or, here’s a novel thought - we can respect the First Amendment, and the proper limits of school authority, and leave him alone.
My question is why on God’s green earth would he want to be reinstated in the school band? I’d be begging to get out of that system asap!!
Molly
Molly, Kids are the worst kind of mystery. My son preferred this kind of misery to being homeschooled. I was slow at catching on. It’s really sad. The homeschool kids are all going to the Jr. College and getting AP credit.
Sigh, I understand. Many of my online unschooling friends have children who’ve returned to ps. Some have stayed but many have come back home and gone to college at early ages.(which is what I would have done had I known about hsing when I was a teen!)
Or, here’s a novel thought - we can respect the First Amendment, and the proper limits of school authority, and leave him alone.
It seems worth noting the ACLU is not clear whether this is a right:
http://www.aclu.org/StudentsRights/StudentsRights.cfm?ID=9067&c=159
They can probably also stop you from using language that they think is “vulgar or indecent,” so watch out for the dirty words, OK?
IMO a kid that refused to delete a vulgar entry written with school resources at deserves a mention to parents. I think it serves kids to have adults define the gray lines of offensive behavior. Free speech is more effective when it is express it well. That seems like a more appropriate mission than censorship.
The ACLU is representing him - that’s plenty of clarity on their position. I see nothing in the ZT post or the referenced article to indicate that any school resources were used. The First Amendment protects both eloquent and infantile speech, and to do anything else would render it meaningless. If it protects Larry Flynt, it can protect this kid.
:=( I should have read that better. I misunderstood.