Police blotter: Student sues over IM-related suspension
 

A student at Weedsport Middle School sues after being suspended for a semester for having an allegedly "threatening" instant-message icon on his home computer.

(Notice the part about it being his HOME COMPUTER).

"Aaron was 15 years old in April 2001, when he created an icon for his home computer's instant-messaging program. (CNET News.com has witheld Aaron's last name because of his age at the time the suit was filed.)

The icon showed a gun pointing to a head, a bullet leaving the gun, and blood splattering from the head. It included the words "Kill Mr. VanderMolen," the name of Aaron's English teacher at Weedsport Middle School."

http://news.com.com/Police+blotter+S...ml?tag=newsmap

Had it only been the image of the head the gun, and the splatter, then I can see that it is bullshit, but the minute that he put a name to it, He crossed the line. With all the school shooting, I can agree that is should be considered a threat.

Even if its on his home computer? At what point does the school have the right to punish kids for what they do at home?

I think that they just passed some federal laws allowing them to.

after all it does involve his teachaers name

Outcome: U.S. District Judge Norman Mordue rules in favor of the school district, dismissing the student's claims.

sounds about right

With the amount of kids being shot dead by their fellow pupils in America I think that the authorites have to take this shit seriously.

:thumbsup :thumbsup

And where were his parents when he made this icon??? they sould be charged with the same crime, and also child neglect.

he shouldnt have named them

Everything that goes on in schools amazes me nowadays

that's ridiculous!!! what's happened to the 1st ammendment?

i agree, putting the name crossed the line.

no one gives a fuck about the 1st ammendment anymore

this was a work of art....not a letter, or a threat sent directly to anyone

anyone who thinks this was a smart move...is a fascist

Were your parents on your heels 24/7?
Did they follow you all over the neighborhood to your friends' houses?
Did they sit next to you every time you had a phone call?

Yes.. parents should know what their kids are doing, but my Lord.. they can't watch every little thing a kid does..

Not a good thing what he did, but to blame the parents because they didn't sit next to him every time he turned on his computer is a bit much..

People hang pictures of those they disliked on dart boards.. Not a big deal...

This is one of the reasons that we are having such a hard time selling porn. Because of people that think like this. If I had a medium such as the internet as a child, you can bet you ASS that I would have been watched closely by my parents.

I don't know what 1st amendment you've read, but here in the U.S. it's illegal to make a threat on someone's life.

I've been there...

whats the fucking big deal? its just an emoticon...

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

Well, OK, so maybe it wasnt that bad. But yes, my parents were parents. They said no more than they said yes. When I turned 12 and wanted to use the internet to make a pipe bomb like the neighbor's kid, they said no. They made me wear a helmet on the dirt bike and the snowmobile. They didnt let me play with fire. I didnt get to go everwhere I wanted with whomever I wanted.

What they didnt do was sit around and piss and moan all day about how the cable TV (that they elected to install and pay for each month) was so polluted with trash nor did they write letters to the editor every day demanding that the internet be censored and that more so-called child decency laws be passed. And when I fucked up and got into trouble, they didnt blame everyone and everything around them. They blamed me.

This was an issue for the parents to deal with AT HOME. Not for the school. It might take a village to raise a child, but this is not to be confused with the villiage having the right to say how the child is raised.

I agree with pr0 on this one.

I personally think the school was right ... he named somebody there.

Uh you make it seem like it's a bad thing. Seriously, who cares if you're having trouble selling porn. This is actually a good thing and if you don't like it find a respectable career..

I agree with the school's decision. At this day and age you just cannot let something like that go.

its a number heavily exaggerated by the media remember

If that was my mom's/boyfriends/bestfriends/ etc name underneath that picture, it wouldnt have mattered because I would have beat the fuck out of the little asshole myself.