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Dublin: 10 °C Wednesday 19 June, 2013

12-year-old girl sues school over Facebook password

The US pupil says she was forced to reveal her personal profile information after posting comments about staff members.

Image: Martin Keene/PA Wire/Press Association Images

A GIRL AGED 12 has launched legal action against her school in the US, claiming that she was forced to reveal her Facebook password to staff members.

Legal documents filed by the pupil, who is being supported by the American Civil Liberties Union and is named only as RS, say that she was punished after criticising a staff hall monitor on her personal Facebook page.

She was then called in by staff after the mother of a male pupil complained that he and RS had had a Facebook chat about sex, the Courthouse News Service reports.

Staff members at Minnewaska Area Middle School allegedly demanded that the girl give up her Facebook and email passwords, then searched her personal accounts.

“RS was intimidated, frightened, humiliated, and sobbing while she was detained in the small school room,” the complaint states.

The lawsuit states that the girl did not use school property or any school communications equipment to post the messages, according to CNN. The ACLU is arguing that the girl’s civil rights were violated.

The Minnewaska school district is maintaining that its actions were justified. “The district is confident that once all facts come to light, the district’s conduct will be found to be reasonable and appropriate,” it said.

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Comments (16 Comments)

  • Is the minimum age for Facebook not 13 in the USA?

    Reply
  • Is this the same as the ‘Empty your pockets’ in the old days?

    Reply
  • Jacob 11/03/12 #

    This article isn’t about whether or not the child’s safety was in question, but whether or not staff had the right to demand private information from her. In my opinion they crossed the line big time here and should be dealt with accordingly.

    Reply
  • It’s a tricky one, no School should be allowed take children’s private property virtual or otherwise without a parent’s consent. That in my opinion was very wrong, it should have ended with a meeting between staff and parents.

    But I’ve seen parent on much more innocent websites, spying on young children and approaching other parents in school yards with demands as to how to deal with very innocent social interaction. Some parents are extremely over barring and control freaks.

    As a parent your job is to bring you child up the way you deem suitable, and to protect your children from to crazies out there, some being school staff and parents, should I give my password?

    Reply
  • I read the title and laughed and thought to myself “stupid Americans”; then I read the article and I mist admit, I do agree with her. People’s privacy is their own, it seems that the “mother of the boy” may have possibly been going through her son’s facebook messages. If this is true, it’s disgraceful. I understand protecting your kids but; not by screening their conversations with other kids!

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    • While I agree with you Conor I would add that there is always the issue of whether the children they talk to are, in fact, children. Its a sad truth today that many paedofiles pose as children to “groom” children on the net. Its something all patents are aware of and makes the whole privacy issue a little more complicated.

      Reply
    • Sounds like the mother was being a good mother – allowing young children to have unrestricted or unsupervised access to social media is at the very least risky behaviour.
      Who paid for he equipment, the Internet access, the child’s food, clothes etc.? The parents.
      The mother here and not facebook is the first protector of the child, Facebook don’t for a damn – the parents really do know best. The heart of a child is bound up in foolishness, and they need their dads and mams to make sure they are safe

      Reply
    • If you put it on the internet, de facto, it’s no longer private.

      Reply
  • A12 year old should not be allowed on Facebook !! Shame on her parents !! On the other hand school should not invade her privacy like that either !!!

    Reply
  • jimbo 11/03/12 #

    The americans you have got to love them…they will make a film next on this…

    Reply
  • There are two issues with this as I see it. 1. What is a twelve year old doing on Facebook? 2. She should not be naming people on Facebook to criticise them. Kids need to act like kids and stop trying to be grown ups all the time. This girls parents are to blame here. I do not however agree with the way she was treated…not good at all.

    Reply
  • Dave 11/03/12 #

    Disgraceful conduct on the part of the school. But its becoming very common with employers now searching facebook profiles too. A line has to be drawn. Its none of your damn business – so stay the hell out.

    Reply
  • B7584 11/03/12 #

    Facebook.
    That is all.

    Reply

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