Student Being Expelled for Xanga Post
May 28th, 2006This is a case that may get some attention this coming week, as a 17 year old student is being expelled for a post on his Xanga blog that uses foul language and claims, basically, that “I can say whatever I want” when I’m on my website, and not using the school’s computer.
The student, also known as “Heckler3672bro”, is not a poster child for freedom of speech. Visit his rather pathetic site for a more personal view of his psyche 
http://www.xanga.com/Heckler3672bro
He claims to drink, smoke pot, and engage in other behaviors that are not exactly models of solid life style choices for a 17 year-old. His friend was expelled for starting a fire in a school urinal, and then bragging about the act on another Xanga site.
What is interesting, though, is the issue of what kinds of speech can be the cause for student discipline. I assume that the urinal fire starter was not expelled for two years for what he wrote on Xanga, but for the act committed in the school itself.
There are numerous freedom of speech cases involving student writing and behavior outside the school that would appear to support a challenge here from the ACLU. It will be interesting, as these sorts of sites are now used by most students, and poorly understood or viewed by most educators.
This case is not so clear. The fact that school administrators went to this site, read the student’s post, and then began disciplinary measures is going to make it something that others will be following for clues as it works its way through the legal system…assuming that the Plainfield School Board expels the student, I would expect an ACLU test case, or at the least an appeal.
Johncn