Tuesday, August 11, 2009
UPDATED: Burleson student’s suspension over profanity on MySpace is overturned
Updated 03:56 p.m., August 12, 2009
Lindsay Wessler, a member of the Burleson High School drill team, has been suspended from the team because of a comment made by a friend on her MySpace page that school administrators deemed to contain "inappropriate language." Wessler also had "provocative" photos of her in a bathing suit that the school considered objectionable. Wessler removed both the comment and the photos, but still faces a one-game suspension.
UPDATE: After Lindsay's mom appealed the school's decision, the suspension was overturned. The school found that the profanity on MySpace did not in fact violate a constitution signed by Lindsay. See Burleson ISD's formal decision at the end of this story.
"I want her rights to be upheld,” Alicia Smock, her mom, told NBC5. (She means rights to privacy and free speech, not the right to cussing online, specifically.)
District officials still say they're deeply concerned, but had to overturn it due to a technicality.
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You're kidding, right?
Jesus Valadez Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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this is why you restrict what people can see...
luniz Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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luniz, according to the linked article, the girl's page was private, but she had about 400 friends that had access to it. So maybe one of her "friends" narc'ed on her?
Alex Bentley Staff
3 months, 1 week ago
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I tell ya, its a sticky wicket when it comes to 1st amendment issues of this nature. BISD apparently looks as if they're trying to save face and will more than likely try to use "student code"-type of arguments if it goes forward. From what I understand of the story, it was someone else who posted the comment, not the party in question. I have a feeling lawyers will get called into this before its all over..
Chris Kidd Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Insanity rules!
Remember back to a time when all we had to worry about was passing notes?
AnnMarie Wilson Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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<i>this is why you restrict what people can see... </i>
Sorry, but flat out wrong. There's simply no way to do this.
Yeah, you can set things to "friends only", but then you have to trust your friends. What if they're in trouble, and the school tells them they'll go light on them if they let the principal check out your profile? What if a friend forgets to log out on a school computer? What if someone grabs a cached version?
If you put something on the internet, it's not a matter of "if", but "when" it'll get out.
Also, after I typed all that I see that Alex Bentley has beaten me to the punch.
Pavel Lishin Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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GOOD FOR THEM!! My best friends daughter has things on her Myspace page that would shock a prostitute. What would happen if someone stepped up and taught these kids to have some self respect. (yes a parent should be doing it but obviously isnt). Maybe the next generation wouldnt be drinking, cursing, sexing, piercing, and tattooing themselves before they reach 18.
(Boy am I going to get some nasty mail but in the end, I just want our kids to grow up with some self respect and I dont see it. (No I dont have my own kids))
Peter Stawicki Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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My best friends daughter has things on her Myspace page that would shock a prostitute.
So, did your best friend knock up a prostitute to begin with or what?
Scott Doyle Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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BISD must be awfully bored..and ratarded.
Travis Bush Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Peter: I won't send you any nasty e-mail, but I don't see how having sex, drinking, cursing, piercing and getting tattoos is disrespectful.
Because I'm three for five, and circumstances might soon put me up to 80% disrespect on your scale.
Pavel Lishin Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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<em>Three</em> for five, Pavel? Do we need to go through the comments to see if you've run the table?
Alex Bentley Staff
3 months, 1 week ago
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Alex..I don't think Pavel is ever sober enough to get tattoos or piercings..
Travis Bush Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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No tattoos or piercings over here!
Pavel Lishin Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Peter,your assumptions about most youth today is quite off, most of these kids today are quite normal compared to our generations, These kids are also smarter and more informed accordingly.
Alot of the issue is the "control" that the "district" is trying to put on these kids. In many ways, this comes down to a 1st amendment rights issue and it'll be interesting to see if the courts get involved with this situation.
Chris Kidd Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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I'm not completely sure but I think you can list which friends are able to see what pictures? Or is that just facebook? But yea you can't do much about "inappropriate language". That's pretty unreasonable, although it's also a good reason not to use your real name.
luniz Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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circumstances might soon put me up to 80% disrespect on your scale
A) This could be a good long while, and we don't even know how likely the circumstances are to begin with.
B) You're terrified of needles and I insist on being present if you ever attempt to get inked or pierced.
I personally plan on at least 40% disrespectin' Pete tonight, 60% if I get lucky!
Scott Doyle Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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The inappropriate language amounted to a single use of the word that is typically also used of a female dog, according to channel 4 news yesterday evening. If the linked article is correct, it was evidently in a comment posted by somebody else. (Mom said last night it was "hacked" but probably doesn't know how the pages work.) And then there were pictures of her and a friend in bathing suits. Good grief. !
Man alive. And my kids thought that I was strict. In Burleson you're a juvenile delinquent if you read a vulgarity or wear a two piece swimming suit.
momzilla Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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You people care way too much about high school students.
OEsophagus Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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or wear a two piece swimming suit
Depends on where you're wearing the pieces, imo.
Scott Doyle Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Good point, Scott. Sometimes, I guess, I'm not imaginative enough. Fortunately, my kids didn't give me too many shocks to the system.
I'm just appalled by the lack of common sense in school districts these days. This situation doesn't come anywhere close to a youtube video of a cheerleading squad doing jello shots topless.
momzilla Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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*B) You're terrified of needles and I insist on being present if you ever attempt to get inked or pierced.*
Doyle just wants to make sure his name is spelled right when Pavel gets teh tramp stamp..
Travis Bush Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Apparently, most of the people here don't understand educational law.
Besides, the school atmosphere would be significantly worse if they would ALLOW every sort of self expression.
Just because schools are public institutions doesn't mean that they have to follow any one person's outlook. They enforce the community standards as well. I am sure they would hear more outcry if they would have simply let it slide (more local community outcry rather than the media created spotlight).
jespinoza Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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::or wear a two piece swimming suit
Frankly, ScoDo in a two piece....
<font size="1">...shudder....</font>
I just can't go on with that. No way no how.
Jason Rice Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Oh, please. Educational law? 35 years ago, we were being subject to * Catcher in the Rye as REQUIRED reading. For that matter, I can name several words from the King James Bible that would probably have gotten this young lady suspended.
The young lady wasn't even expressing herself. She failed to delete a self expression from someone else who commented on her site and used a derogatory word that you would probably find in at least one song on the IPOD of nearly every kid in that school.
momzilla Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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You don't really see this stupidity in large city centers, because it would not only be terribly time consuming to investigate and punish, but it would cause a backlash among entire populations of students and other citizens...Burleson wishes they could control the Internetz..
Travis Bush Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Wonder what "educational law" would do to a student who said bitch here on PN?
Obviously not considered naughty enough to filter 'round these internet parts.
Scott Doyle Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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You know what, folks, let's calm down here. We're just making <strong>asses</strong> of ourselves.
<img src="http://uploads.postfarm.net/public/postfarm/uploads-2.0/a/ass2.jpg">
<small><i>And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.</i> - Numbers 22:21</small>
Pavel Lishin Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Isn't Burleson the same city who used vice laws to prosecute a "adult novelty" party?? I tell ya, if those hayseeds were wiped off the face of the earth tomorrow, I wouldn't lose any sleep ;)
Chris Kidd Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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I Sam 25:22
momzilla Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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Momzilla's verse, for those not inclined to Google: "So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall."
Alex Bentley Staff
3 months, 1 week ago
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lol, *District officials still say they're deeply concerned, but had to overturn it due to a technicality.*
Owned at your own game, chumps. Does it hurt to sit down or did you get a prescription tightass pillow?
Scott Doyle Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Ecclesiastes 4:4-6
Travis Bush Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Yes it was Chris... aren't you glad you don't live in Burleson!
AnnMarie Wilson Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Technically retarded, yup.
Pavel Lishin Verified
3 months, 1 week ago
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Personally, I find it objectionable that school districts these days meddle in what is parental territory, period. What a student does off-campus is no one's business but the student and their parents. I certainly do not need help from the school district to teach my child self-discipline when off-campus. Butt out ISD's!
Shirley Anonymous
3 months, 1 week ago
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Check out http://detentionslip.org for all the crazy headlines from our schools. It's the leader for wild education news.
sweetchuckd Anonymous
2 months, 4 weeks ago
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Weird. All the stoners used to go across the street to the c-store during lunch to partake in degeneration, yet no one ever got in trouble. And now, a teen can't post swimsuit pix and curse online? Such mixed feelings... I'd lock my daughter in the dungeon for doing this, yet I don't personally have a problem with it... ahh, sweet ambivalence, dost thou torture me
ch0 Anonymous
2 months, 4 weeks ago
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I'd ground my kids if I ever got wind that they never swore online.
I'd ground them in some filthy dive bar, I mean, but you know. Still. They wouldn't be able to leave.
Pavel Lishin Verified
2 months, 4 weeks ago
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I can't decide which is more strikingly disarming, the concept of Pavel as a stern albeit warped disciplinarian
... or the threat of his reproduction.
Jason Rice Verified
2 months, 4 weeks ago
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