DISTRICT TAKES AIM AT TEENS' WEB POSTS

Schools Say MySpace Within Their Space Too

By Andrew L. Wang Tribune staff reporter Published May 18, 2006

A north suburban school district could become one of the first in the
state to adopt rules holding students accountable for what they post
on blogs or social-networking Web sites like MySpace.com.

The school board of Community High School District 128, which
includes Libertyville and Vernon Hills High Schools, is expected to
vote Monday on a change to student conduct codes that would make
evidence of "illegal or inappropriate behavior" posted on the sites
grounds for disciplinary action.

"We're really making parents and students aware that they would be
accountable" for what goes online, said Associate Supt. Prentiss Lea.

He said posting a photo of bad behavior on a Web site is the same as
if a student dropped the picture on his desk.

Some students chafe at the notion of school officials trolling their
personal Web sites for rule infractions.

"It's called 'MySpace' for a reason, not 'What-I-do-at-school
Space,'" said Katy Bauschke, 18, a senior at Libertyville.

"Teachers don't want us to make our own mistakes," said her friend
Laura Brenner, 18, a senior at Vernon Hills High. "They want to
protect us, but they're overstepping their bounds."

Lea said district officials will not actively seek evidence by
looking through students' sites; but when they are confronted with
it, the code would lay out how they should proceed.

A spokesman for the Illinois Association of School Boards, which
represents 97 percent of state school boards, said his group is not
aware of similar proposals in other districts.

"Whether or not it's the very first, it's hard to know," Jim Russell
said. "There haven't been many, but there will probably be more."

The change would affect all students participating in extracurricular
activities, including athletic teams, fine arts groups and school clubs.

Lea said 75 percent to 80 percent of the district's 3,200 students
participate in one or more activities.

To participate, students must sign a pact that says they won't use
alcohol, tobacco or drugs or "exhibit gross misconduct or
behavior/citizenship that is considered detrimental to his/her team or school."

The proposed change states that "maintaining or being identified on a
blog site which depicts illegal or inappropriate behavior will be
considered a violation of this code."

Lea said officials would treat any incriminating information from a
Web site as evidence they would use while conducting an investigation
into the offending behavior.

If district officials find illegal Web content about a student who is
not involved in activities, they would investigate, contact the
student's parents and decide whether to discipline the student or
involve police, Lea said.

Tom Engstrom, Libertyville High's student representative to the
school board, said he supports the change.

"It makes kids more aware ... of the consequences of their actions,"
said Engstrom, 18, who estimated that 75 percent of students at his
school use social-networking sites.

Sites like MySpace, Xanga.com and friendster.com allow users to
create a personal page where they can post pictures and information
about themselves and network with other users.

Alex Koroknay-Palicz, executive director of the National Youth Rights
Association, which lobbies for issues such as lowering the voting age
and abolishing youth curfews, said the District 128 plan
discriminates against young people.

"I think this is just a huge overstepping of schools' authority into
the rights and privacy of students," he said. "If they're doing
something on their own time, that issue is between them and their
parents. It's not really the school's issue."

But Brian Schwartz, acting director and general counsel for the
Illinois Principals Association, said legal precedents justify
disciplining a student for behavior shown on a personal Web site. He
cited examples of images posted online of students drinking alcohol
and damaging school property.

He said the issue gets more complicated if the posting is of
something deemed objectionable, rather than illegal. Then the
student's right to free speech comes into play. In such cases, a
district must prove the behavior violates a law or a school rule,
that there's a definite link of the behavior to the school and that
the behavior constitutes a true threat to the students, staff or
school property.

But, he said, students who want the fun of after-school activities
must be willing to conform to school standards.

"The law says you can't take away someone's right to attend school
without due process," he said. "When it comes to athletics [and other
activities] students don't have a right to participate; it's a privilege."

Lea said school officials have noticed the rise in popularity of
social-networking sites.

News reports of adults using the sites to prey on unsuspecting
teenagers prompted them to educate the community on the issue. Among
other things, the district has held talks for parents and teachers to
introduce them to the sites, and has published tips on how to use them safely.

A committee of about 30 administrators, teachers and parents reviewed
the codes of conduct earlier this year and decided to revise them to
address blog sites as a "preventive and proactive" measure, Lea said.

Cheryl Chrysler, president of the Cougar Parent Connection at Vernon
Hills High, said she supports the changes. With college admissions
officers and employers looking up applicants' sites, she said,
students need to be aware that what they post can have consequences.

"If the students are posting it on a public domain, it's open for
anyone to read," said Chrysler, who has two children at Vernon Hills,
one of whom uses MySpace.

"What they're posting on their blogs can be used against them."

Many teens acknowledge that the sites are not private.

"It's like going to the library and looking up information on
someone," said Chris Condren, 18, a Libertyville senior.

Still, he said, it's unsettling to think of teachers looking over a
student's shoulder.

Vanessa O'Brien, 17, put it more bluntly.

"It seems creepy and weird," the Libertyville senior said. "It's
weird, but it's legal."