Viet-Justice

COSTA MESA, Calif. - A middle school student faces expulsion for allegedly posting graphic threats against a classmate on the popular MySpace.com Web site, and 20 of his classmates were suspended for viewing the posting, school officials said.

Metz said the students’ suspensions in mid-February were appropriate because the incident involved student safety. Some parents however questioned whether the school overstepped its bounds by disciplining students for actions that occurred on personal computers, at home and after school hours.

In the case of law enforcement there are defined jurisdictions. The school is only responsible for what happens on campus and nowhere else. It is a clear abuse of authority to get involved in any affairs off campus. If this were truly an issue we would be reading headlines stating “20 students arrested”. Schools typically threaten parents and students by saying their discipline is light compared to what would happen if they called the police then offer to drop the whole issue and hand the case over to the police. In most cases the police wouldn’t touch the case so again you have a group of power hungry morons at the helm. Since when did it become a crime for simply looking at something on the Internet? I am guessing the school is upset that the 20 students didn’t rat out the MySpace profile to begin with. It probably has something to do with a misguided Soviet era belief that if you don’t turn in other people you are a conspirator. In the real world the police can’t arrest you for not reporting a crime, but school officials seldom live in the real world.
Here’s the school and school board contact information. Time to let them know how foolish they’re looking across the country.
TeWinkle Middle School
3224 California Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Principal: Dan Diehl
Administrative Assistant: Cheryl Sackreiter
Phone:
(714) 424-7965
Registrar(714) 424-5695

Fax: (714) 424-5680
Attendance Phone: (714) 424-5982

Newport - Mesa Board of Education