Talia Shifron
To You Editor, Fused
In November 2007, a student at Pembroke Pines Charter High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida named Katherine Evans was suspended for three days for posting negative comments about her teacher on Facebook. She wrote these comments and then tried to get other students to agree with her. Not only was Evans suspended, but she was also removed from her AP classes.
The school said that Evans was suspended “on the grounds of violating Broward County school board policies against bullying / cyber bullying / harassment towards a staff member and Disruptive behavior, according to a copy of her Notice of Suspension attached to the complaint.” However it doesn’t make much sense that posting negative thoughts about a teacher can now be considered bullying or harassment. In no way do these comments physically hurt the teacher, nor intimidate the teacher who clearly has more power than the student.
This suspension is a clear violation of the rights to freedom of speech. Considering the fact that negative comments can be said about the president of the United States, it seems a little ridiculous that comments that could be found offensive to a teacher couldn’t be made in the exact same way; especially considering that this was on the student’s personal blogging site and not posted during the school day.
If students can now be suspended from school for stating their personal beliefs, then this world has clearly stopped giving people the rights that they are guaranteed by the first amendment. And what is just as bad, is the fact that a student can be removed from AP classes for stating these beliefs. Evans has every right to sue the school system, and should not be denied her crucial rights.
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