Schools Lower the Boom on Blogs

By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 12/1/2005

Blogging may be the hottest new trend on the Internet, but some K–12 schools are restricting student access to these online diaries, both on campus and off.

Last month, Pope John XXIII Regional High School, in Sparta, NJ, ordered all of its students to remove posts from popular social networking sites, including myspace.com, if they included information about themselves and the school—even if students posted from home.

Several calls to the school and diocese requesting comment were not returned.

Indeed, even those schools that have embraced blogging by teachers are cautious about student blogs. Mabry Middle School in Marietta, GA, actually requires its teachers to maintain blogs on classroom activities. However, the school is now considering allowing students to create blogs of their schoolwork, as well as their own wiki encyclopedia. “But we’re moving very slowly,” says Tim Tyson, Mabry’s principal. “We want to make sure it’s a safe way for students to be reviewed by their peers and that comments stay focused on their work.”

While many Web users understand that data posted online can remain there for many years, students often don’t. A post bragging about a recent prank, for example, could come back to haunt a student years later when a future employer does some online research. Online forums also leave students open to hurtful comments, which can devastate sensitive teens.

“There are safety concerns with minors,” says Rebecca Jeschke, a spokesperson for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which supports the rights of bloggers. “But just because you’re a minor doesn’t mean you don’t have free speech rights.” So instead of banning blogs outright, EFF suggests schools teach students how to safely navigate and use the Internet, advising them against sharing personal details, such as their addresses, and being aware that posted information can have staying power. “The Internet is a primary way for students to communicate,” Jeschke says. “Restricting that [access] is too broad a stroke.”