Control issues
Two American girls who were punished by their school for
posting what it felt were sexually suggestive pictures on MySpace have sued.
Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, in a
federal lawsuit filed last week on behalf of the girls, argues that Churubusco
High School violated the girls' free speech rights when it banned them from
extracurricular activities for a joke that didn't involve the school. The suit says that the school district humiliated the
girls by requiring them to apologize to an all-male coaches' board and undergo
counselling.
The case has highlighted the issue of how much control schools
should have over children when they are at home. The pair were banned from sports and made to apologize to
the all-male coaches' board and undergo counseling after the photographs were
circulated at school.
The snaps were taken during a sleepover with friends
before school started this summer and posted them on their MySpace pages. The
pictures were set for friends only and showed the girls in lingerie and
pretended to lick a lollipop.