Is this not illegal?

[Gogf]

We can have a serious debate about the restriction of free speech in school, but it would center around clothing and fliers, not access to internet message boards during school.

For the record, the first amendment—which doesn't apply to minors in school anyway—says that the government may not restrict free speech. Nowhere does it say that it must provide a platform for the dissemination of free speech, like a computer with access to a message board.

 

[Red Door]

If you expect a world of freedom from censorship handed to you by a government organization, I pity thee.

Private schools are the answer to dumb questions; there are dumb questions and only one answer to them.

Private schools block message boards/forums too.

 

[bob bobato]

The computers are there for school work,and message boards/forums aren't schoolwork. Technically you're only on the computer for schoolwork, and if they know you're not they're spoiling you. Not that I only use my schools computers for work, like most other people. But we're still not allowed.

 

[BasketCase]

Y'all are carrying the idea of Free Speech way too far here.

So far, Gogf is the only other guy in this thread who saw the problem.

So you're whining about the school board restricting your use of the campus Internet. What if the campus had NO internet access at all (which was the case with my college campus until my senior year). Does that mean the campus is restricting your right to free speech? No. If anything, by giving you a restricted Net hookup instead of NO hookup at all, they have improved your freedom of speech.

Suppose you write a book and the publishing company declines to print it for you? Are they censoring? No.

Suppose you were living in Colonial America three centuries ago and nobody was willing to lend you a printing press to disseminate your great ideas. Is that restricting free speech? No.

Free speech doesn't mean the government or the school campus or anybody else is required to give you a soapbox. If you don't have an Internet connection on campus??

Go off-campus and find one.

Sheesh.

 

[TheDervish]

Undocumented censorship.

 

[Japanrocks12]

agree with it not being illegal, but it being censorship. here, time that should be spent researching projects and doing homework is instead being used for recreation, and the school has every right to regulate that.

 

[LucyDuke]

I would say that it's not illegal, and it's censorship by definition.

I suppose you're right with your technicality. Until the school does something beyond not letting you see the website while you're using their computers (eg trying to shut the website down), I don't think it's very meaningful censorship.

 

[Ansar]

My school blocked CFC.

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

http://www.mathtunnel.com This website has made my day more times than I can remember.