Posted Wednesday, May 24, 2006, The OG, news

Two events this week in Illinois have highlighted the changing nature of student expression — and the headaches this is causing school administrators.

In Libertyville on Monday, the school board that oversees Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools voted to require that all students participating in extracurricular activities next year sign a pledge agreeing that they can be disciplined for material they post on the Internet, including on their blogs or on networking sites such as MySpace.

According to an Associated Press story published Tuesday:

“The board of Community High School District 128 voted unanimously on Monday to require that all students participating in extracurricular activities sign a pledge agreeing that evidence of ‘illegal or inappropriate' behavior posted on the Internet could be grounds for disciplinary action.

“The rule will take effect at the start of the next school year, officials said.

“District officials won't regularly search students' sites, but will monitor them if they get a worrisome tip from another student, a parent or a community member.”

Click here for the complete AP story.

Also this week in Illinois, a 17-year-old high school student in Plainfield School District 202 faces expulsion for comments he posted on his blog.

According to an article published in today's Chicago Tribune:

“After serving a 10-day suspension over his posting on Xanga.com, the teen is scheduled for a hearing Thursday on the matter, attorney Carl Buck said. The student is back in school but could be expelled and sent to an alternative school, Buck said. …

“The student was suspended from school earlier this month after posting a letter online criticizing the discipline of another student, Buck said. He also posted a letter to school administrators saying his opinions were being stifled and that he was being bullied into removing information on his blog.

“‘Did you ever stop to think that maybe now you really are going to have a threat on your hands now that you have just [ticked] off kids for voicing their opinions?' one of his postings read. ‘The kids at Columbine did what [they] did because they were bullied.'”

Click here for the entire Tribune story.