Topic Idea: Students Expelled for Tweets

An Indiana high school senior has been expelled for a Tweet he says was posted from home on his personal account. The tweet? “f— is one of this f—ing words you can f—ing put anywhere in a f—ing sentence and it still f—ing makes sense”.

Read more here.

Set Up Ideas

• Use the story to launch a topic idea from Eric Rowe, Roula & Ryan, KRBE/Houston: “How did your Twitter or Facebook account get you in trouble at work or school?”

• Reasonable or not? Should students be disciplined for their online activity if it’s done from a personal device after school hours, off school property? Or is the parents’ job to monitor and discipline for this?

• Ask an expert. Talk to teachers or principals for their perspective. Then ask parents. Compare their answers.

• If teachers are held to a certain standard for behavior online and outside of school, is it only fair for students to be held to this standard, too?