Hey, people, read and discuss!
“The Detroit News [reported] that a Michigan Catholic school called St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic School would no longer allow students that have MySpace profile to attend the school.
Students at a suburban Catholic school are being ordered to take down their photos, snappy comments, or anything else they may have posted on MySpace.com.
Friday is the deadline for students at St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic School to follow orders or risk suspension. School Principal Sister Margaret Van Velzen sent letters home to parents this week saying, in part, that if families allow children to continue their MySpace.com sites, they will not be allowed to return to school. The school plans to use its computer-savvy staff members to monitor the site for student activity.The principal declined comment, but St. Hugo office manager Judy Martinek said the principal just wants to keep the students safe.
‘We’ve stated our position and we hope all students are in the process of taking down their sites by tomorrow,’ said Martinek.
It may sound like a big overreaction to deny students access to the school just because they have a MySpace profile but this is what is happening. The article cites a county sheriff and a local parent who both agree with the school’s decision. MySpace is not the only social network on the Internet so the ban won’t even necessarily prevent the kids from using social networks. Still the ban may prevent naive high school students from posting stuff on a MySpace profile they may regret later when applying to college or trying to get a job.”
(courtesy of BloggersBlog.com — Teens and Blogging)
I say they should simply expel the students with MySpace profiles that exhibit a total lack of color coordination, no concept of an appropriate content to white space ratio, and just generally prove that the owner has no taste. Seriously, why do so many MySpace profiles look as though they were styled by a colorblind howler monkey?
I understand that Myspace can be a dangerous site if you aren’t careful. Instead of banning it completely and expelling the students, why not offer an internet safety class for the whole student body?
I agree. Police came to my class and they told us about internet saftey. I was really scared when I heard what happened to some people. Plus , this website is a lot like my space and I don’t hear anyone banning it. Some adults even like to have their kids on these kinds of sites.
I agree that any place where people can come together as a community allows the sharing of ideas and information, like this site. Instead of bans, we should educate. And educate on the necessity for good design quality as well as valid, appropriate content.