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World Leader Pretend
Ruling teh World
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2007-10-14, 20:20

Hey, within the last week I went out and registered a domain using my school's name to call attention to the awful state of repair it is in. I really like the school itself, but over the years it has become a real mess. Students and teachers have become more vocal with their complaints after we had a Staph outbreak (19 kids 4 coaches, 3 hospitalized) due to the gross facilities. Our school district is the wrong size and therefor gets very little state money, but our school board hasn't done their job to fix minor issues. The Department of Health has reviewed the school numerous times and pointed out problems to fix, but they haven't.

Anyway, with the help of some friends and teachers, I built this website and posted pictures and a few student articles on it. I have been updating daily.

Today I got an email from the school board trying to get to know who I was. I learned from a teacher (also today via email) that they are suspicious of this site and think it is an attempt by some teachers to vocalize their complaints. While it is true that I have received content from teachers I am not guided by them in how I run this site. This is 100% my and my friends initiative.

The undertones of the school board's email was a bit threatening and I replied back saying that we wish to remain anonymous and, while we would like to be objective, we will remain unapologetic about anything critical of th district. All the articles are cited as being opinion so I told them it wasn't my issue what other students think.

Here is the website in question, if you want to poke around: www.manhattanhighschool.org

My question is what should I tell them if they call me into the office or something? I am firm in stating that it is my right to own a website, and that they can't do anything about it, but I don't want to get teachers in trouble. How should I handle this?
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jdcfsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Florida
 
2007-10-14, 20:28

As far as I know you are exercising free speech. The only limitation to that would be if you were trying to incite a riot but it doesn't seem the case here.

The pictures really are horrific and something needs to be done. I do like how you balanced with some positive pictures as well. Nice job with the site, hopefully it gets some results for you.

90% of statistics can be made to say anything 50% of the time.
Website | Twitter
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2007-10-14, 20:42

Well done! You know how it is, first they ignore you, then they fight you, etc.

Since you have teachers on your side, I think you should be relatively safe. This is clearly free speech, the only thing they could do is claim that you are misusing the name of the school - but since that is probably not a registered trademark, I doubt they can do much.

Your only danger is that somebody gives away who you are, a student or a teacher, perhaps without meaning to. So I would try to keep this to a relatively select number of people, and also try to figure out how powerful those people are - i.e., if they could (and would) successfully protect you if somebody within the school thinks you need to be punished.

Let's hope this shocks the school board into some action!
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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2007-10-14, 20:52

WLP, Glad to know you're doing something to better your school. It takes a dedication, and it's great.

If you are not sure where is the boundary with your free speech, and whether they have any merits, I'd recommend that you take a look at firstamendmentcenter.org. I'm sure you would be able to find a case where this was considered, and I'd assume they can refer you to someone who can provide free legal aid or give it themselves.

Best of the luck with changing the world.
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World Leader Pretend
Ruling teh World
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2007-10-14, 21:29

Thanks for the help, I just got done writing off some lengthy responses to a school board member. I am actually a fan of hers, and she is a voice of reason among some of the other, older members. I ended up telling her who I was and she agreed not to tell other people. Hopefully she can help us out by giving us some insight into the situation.

The problem is that I would rather not make enemies, but the school board really hasn't done anything about the situation. I feel that it is their responsibility and am prepared to hurt some feelings to get something done.

I mean, seriously, me and 1400 other kids have to use those facilities every day. Those pictures are not exaggerated and truly exist everywhere you look.
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2007-10-14, 21:38

There are always people who get it, but they're being ignored or can't/won't speak up. Sounds like you know what you're doing! More power to you! (are we seeing another Al Gore in the making? )
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Majost
monkey with a tiny cymbal
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Lost
 
2007-10-15, 13:00

My advice? Put your name behind it and stand tall. You will instantly have 1000 times the credibility. It sounds like you have support of teachers, so if you do things correctly and respectfully I don't think you'll become very vulnerable. Putting your name behind it also enables you to exercise the nuclear option: a Letter to the Editor of your local paper. In fact, I wonder if the editorial board of the newspaper could potentially be a resource for you.

I would change a few of the captions to be a bit more objective on the 'uncensored' page. But beyond that, I really think you are doing things the right way and couldn't put yourself (or the site) at much more danger by revealing your identity. Do you have the support of your parents?

I did something similar at college... I started a website anonymously, but my friends and I immediately realized that we should have not been anonymous and talked with the administration first. We scheduled a meeting with the administration and made it clear who we were and why we were doing it. The internet is such a global, anonymous, and free (as in liberal, but not politically) place that when you do something locally people (especially older generations) don't know how to respond. By putting your name (or I would recommend a group of names) behind it, you're adding a point of contact and personalizing the issue. Only then will people really know how to respond. Sure, you take the risk that it may garner an unwanted response, but I think you'll have a much better shot at effecting change.

Best of luck, WLP!

(Also, on the topic of free speech, the Wikipedia article on Defamation, Slander and Libel is a good read)
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Windswept
On Pacific time
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Moderator's Pub
 
2007-10-15, 13:16

I do wish you the very best of luck, WLP, and hope any results are positive, and any repercussions minimal.

However, you are quite innocent in thinking that either the school board or the district administration will take a reasonable, objective, pleasant view of all this dirty laundry being exposed to the public gaze.

And I can pretty much guarantee that your having the support of *teachers* will *not* amount to a hill of beans in the eyes of the people in power.

But, your stand has been taken, in public, and it just remains to see how things shake out. Again, I do wish you the best of luck in your courageous endeavor.
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Fahrenheit
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Send a message via ICQ to Fahrenheit  
2007-10-15, 13:21

I would do the teachers a great favour, and not let them submit any more information to you, and take off any information that they have given you. The repurcussions to them, rightly or wrongly, would be greater than that of you.

But its your site, and I admire your integrity.
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2007-10-15, 14:06

I wouldn't worry about the teachers, they know what they're doing. Besides, even if you decide to reveal who you are/are outed by somebody, that doesn't mean you have to tell who wrote what (though I hear those school boards have their methods to get information from students ...).

I don't think the school board can do much here. It may not be fun in case of an actual confrontation, but overall their hands are tied. Because if they do something stupid like fire a teacher for speaking out, they will have a lawsuit on their hands that will be much worse than anything you could post on your website.
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World Leader Pretend
Ruling teh World
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2007-10-15, 19:20

Thanks for all the help guys. I will say that this site is not truly anonymous, I know a lot of students know the main people behind the site. I've written a board member who I can trust with my name and intent, and she has been supportive of the idea. Also a few teachers know I'm behind it. I would just rather, at this point in time, keep names to a minimum on the actual site.

On the topic of a letter to the editor, a friend and I are seeking the advice of an English teacher to draft up a nice, well-written letter highlighting the fact that students are behind this movement as well. This weekend the local paper did a front-page article about this very issue, but didn't address any student concerns.

My town reportedly has over 3000 current or inactive teachers, out of roughly 50000. If anything they have plenty of power if they lobby for it. Already a coalition of teachers has been far more vocal about this issue so I'm not endangering anyone.

I would like to keep the content objective, but tons of people are submitting photos and accounts of the really awful conditions. Just today in our debate classroom, which is already a half-sized room, both of our massive AC units were breaking. One had water running out of it underneath our classroom computers (which are vital for debate) and the other one was filled with water and coolant about a foot deep. We had to hold class in the auditorium because of this. Mind you that our debate team is one of the top programs in the nation. Sometimes the bad outweighs the good no matter how you spin in.
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Capella
Dark Cat of the Sith
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rochester, NY
Send a message via AIM to Capella  
2007-10-15, 22:00

WLP, I'm sorry to hear about the conditions of your school. It's hard to learn in a crappy environment. I applaud your conviction and willingness to take action, however! Good to know the local paper's written about it. Have you contacted them and tried to coordinate with them to address student concerns? I wish you the best of luck with this.

"A blind, deaf, comatose, lobotomy patient could feel my anger!" - Darth Baras
twitter ; amateur photographer ; fanfiction writer ; roleplayer and worldbuilder
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RichieB
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Arizona
 
2007-10-15, 22:36

Excellent! Keep up the good work.
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