Spying on the Student Body

In most cases, it takes a lot to shock me. But last night, I have to say, I learned of yet another example of why we have so many problems within our school systems.

Now, before I present this argument I must emphasize that nothing as of yet has been proven, verified or fact-checked. My editorial is based on the insight (and brilliance!) of a great friend who holds a tremendous amount of credibility with me as well as that of her own friends. In other words, even if this turns out to be a misunderstanding, too bad! It gives me, at the very least, the opportunity to illustrate my beliefs in this matter-and offer a solution to an ongoing problem.

With that being said, here’s a quick summary of what went down. A school employee at a well-respected, Chicago high school is now suspected of factiously adding herself as a “Facebook friend” under an alias. I know. It’s Facebook. Isn’t everything and anything done factiously? No! Or at least not when it involves a member of society, who’s being paid to protect and educate, crossing the ethical boundaries she was expected to uphold! Anyway, (allegedly) this employee (a female) used the name and profile of a male at another high school located in the surrounding suburbs in order to view students’ assumingly private interactions on the world’s most popular, social-media network—Facebook. This employee was then able to view not only the posts (which includes pictures and personal information) of the targeted student, but also the student’s friends, their friends, and so on.

What I suggested to this “student-in-question” was that she reports this matter to the School’s administration, as they have the resources and abilities to investigate the facts of this issue. If the administration fails to act, go to the School Board. If the problem isn’t resolved after all that, seek out a civil attorney who specializes in educational law and inquire as to whether or not to file a very expensive, civil lawsuit.

This issue here readers, has little to do with how can this possibly be verified for validity; it has more to do with our corroded school system willing to use any means necessary to violate students’ rights when a student has the courage to stand up for herself, exercising her Constitutionally-protected right to FREE speech! I mean, is our society that desperate to the point where educators need to resort to these despicable intelligence methods in order to remain informed as to their students’ personal lives? I guess so. And people ask me why I lost the will to teach.

Of course, this all really could be a misunderstanding. Sure. This school employee could just need something to brag about to her…husband? Either way, kids, do not ever let adults make you believe you have a lesser amount of civil rights just because you happen to be younger and in school! Stand up for yourselves! Make the world your own! WordUP!

-Just Jay and Editorial Staff members-