High School Principal Sues Students For Phony MySpace Profiles

from the please,-make-fun-of-me dept

Mon, Apr 9th 2007 3:21am — Joseph Weisenthal

Not all MySpace-related lawsuits involve the same predictable factors like underage users and sexual assault. A high school principal in Pennsylvania has sued four students after they created parody MySpace profiles for him that listed interests such as smoking pot and watching pornography. He claims that the profile has damaged his future earnings potential and so he wants monetary compensation. It's not clear whether the students' actions qualify as first amendment-protected parody or whether they'd be seen as defamation of a private citizen. Either way, the most likely outcome here is more copycat attempts as he's just put a target on himself inviting other students to attack him. Instead of suing, it seems like a better course of action would have been to simply contact MySpace and request that the profiles be taken down. Now, for better or worse, he'll always be known as the principal that sued his students over fake MySpace profiles, to anyone who searches for his name. To his credit (or maybe his lawyer's) he's suing the students and not the site itself, which is the proper legal course. Then again, it's hard to imagine that he'll be able to get much in damages from a few high school students.

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robin hood, 9 Apr 2007 @ 3:50am

also id like to say
id bend him over his computer and fuck him with the mouse while making him smoke pot and watch dirty pornos where people get their balls bitten off after they cum if he tried to sue me like that
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 3:55am

I don't know whom is the bigger idiot, you guys for linking to this poor guy's real name or the two jerks that posted above.
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Rob, 9 Apr 2007 @ 4:10am

Gotta say...
... I'd sue the little fuckers too.
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XCetron, 9 Apr 2007 @ 4:24am

They should have just made a website talking all the bad things about him but only post facts or opinions so that he cant do anything bout it.
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bldkcstark, 9 Apr 2007 @ 4:32am

The Rents
He won't be able to get any money from the high school kids. They are most likely under 18, and their parents are responsible for their actions. That means the rents will have to pay any damages. He is taking the responsibility of parenting and overseeing your children back to the parents, instead of laying it on the school like many parents do today.

We had a (elementary school) kid who racked up so many weekend detentions that he got expelled. He was given a weekend detention, but his parents didn't want to get out of bed to take him, so they skipped it. That means he got another one. They skipped those, so he had four, they skipped two more so he got expelled. They raised Cain because they had to pay for daycare and use vacation to take care of him during the day. Not because he missed so much school, or that they were lazy morons.
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Shohat, 9 Apr 2007 @ 4:40am

Hehe.
Americans.
Can't solve anything without a lawyer.
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Bilbert, 9 Apr 2007 @ 4:58am

I wonder
How often are parents liable for children's actions? Very frequently on "The People's Court" and "Judge Judy" and their ilk, plaintifs prove that the defendant's children are responsible for damage yet the outcome isn't always the same and legal reasons are given.

1) Though the children are responsible they aren't liable under the particular state's laws so neither are their parents so there is no judgement against either.

2) The children are responsible, but their parents aren't, so the plaintifs only recourse is to wait until the children are of legal age and try to collect the judgement from them.

3) The children are responsible, and because of state law or because the parent could have or should have forseen the problem, the parents are responsible and have a judgement made against them.

There are other variations, but these seem to be the big three, and they always make me curious when I read about the *IAA suing children/teens or about suits like this.
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TriZz, 9 Apr 2007 @ 4:59am

He had it coming...
I don't agree that defamation is a good thing, but really -- what good is the internet if it doesn't give kids a new outlet to make of their teachers/principals?

Obviously, the principal was once a student and knows that HS/MS principals are THE target of teenage satire (beyond other students). Given the times, I'm surprised that he didn't see this one coming. The internet IS the new high school bathroom stall.

Was it wrong for those kids to do that? Yes. Just like it was wrong of us to make fun of our principals back in school, but should the principal be able to sue? You would think that the principal of a high school should be able to turn the other cheek (post-Easter humor) when it comes to kids making slander-ish jokes.
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keybored, 9 Apr 2007 @ 5:31am

Had it coming
I agree agent #9. I think the needs to get a sense of humor. Turn it around, praise the kids for being creative and assign them to the build the high school web age or something. Then have the kids take down the my space account themselves. Geez, like this post will make a difference but the world is just too uptight.
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DisGuy, 9 Apr 2007 @ 5:38am

this guy is kinda lame
cant people just let things go? The best course of action would have probably been asking myspace to take down the pages and then talking to the students themselves. When did people lose the balls and honor of dealing with problems themselves. Sending some lawyer dogs to do your dirty work is lame. No guts I say.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 5:41am

Re: Hehe.
Americans.
Can't solve anything without a lawyer.

that's exactly how the lawyers want it...

$cha-ching$
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 5:44am

I'm on the prinicipals side here
The only way you can win a confrontation like that is to play hardball.

The kids used the biggest ammunition they had (placing the mans entire career in shambles) and the only bigger gun available was a lawsuit.

The principal cannot afford to "roll over" and let the students get away with this.

And don't pretend the kids are the victims here, they know damn well the power they were weilding.
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Sanguine Dream, 9 Apr 2007 @ 5:44am

Well
maybe this will make think twice if he goes online to look up info on potential teachers looking to teach at his school.

This is why I think it's wrong for employers to go online looking for info (read: gossip, dirt, secrets) on candidates.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 5:46am

Streisand Effect
That is all.
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Michael, 9 Apr 2007 @ 6:13am

When U Sue Someone It Is Public - Therefore His Na
The comment about linking to the name of the Principal is the most pointless statement ever made -- even if Techdirt was worried about re-publisher liability for the defamation --- it would not be an issue because the actual statements were not re-published and if ANYONE did not know this -- when you file a lawsuit it becomes the public domain -- anyone from President Bush to Harry the Hobo can go to the courthouse or search for the case and have access to it -- so it is truly pointless to try and say Techdirt did anything wrong -- besides it serves the principal right -- if anyone would believe such a myspace profile in the academic profession or hold it againist him in future jobs needs to evaluate their posterior and see if any obstructions are present --- besides this more or less will fall under parody because he is a public figure and it can be asserted NO one would believe what was posted similar to jerry farwell and the infamous mother in the out house of hustler
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Commodore Crush, 9 Apr 2007 @ 6:15am

What's the difference?
"Johnny? Time to get up for school! Wake up!"

"Awww shucks! I don't wanna go! All the kids make fun of me, the teachers hate me, and the lunchladies always spit in my food! I'm not goin'!"

"But honey, you have to go... you're the principal"

This guy needs to grow up and grow some balls. What's the difference if some kid is drawing pictures of the principal with penises in his mouth on a piece of paper in the school? It happens every day. I don't think he would be suing some kids if that were the case.

Sounds like if he doesn't like to be picked on, he shouldn't have become a high school principal.
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k7, 9 Apr 2007 @ 6:25am

Are you 12?
@ shohat
That comment may have made sense 10 years ago, unless you live in some 3rd world country. Europe is sue happy now too.

@ keyboard: What planet do you live on? Are you 12? What if I post a doctored photo of you having "sex" with your mother on the side of a large building in your town? Based on your answer, you would "praise me for being creative", or perhaps hire me to paint your home (er, bicycle)? Yeah right. Its so easy for you to talk about what other people "should" do. Your are a f*ckin hypocrite. I am sure that the principal is not able to do what he would like to do - and that is to kick the livin shit out of the little morons and then smear their school records, but then the kid's parents would sue him and he would be without work wit his rep ruined. The only way these kids' parents will care at all is if it costs them beer and cigarette money...losers breed losers.
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Astrid, 9 Apr 2007 @ 6:58am

Principal is a loser
What a moron. Just another reason why my kids go to private school.
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ElliotNess#405, 9 Apr 2007 @ 7:16am

What an Idiot
What I don't get is how is this guy is suing for future earnings potential.If anything by creating this lawsuit, he puts more of a target on himself, and possibly raise a red flag with potential employers.
He's a high school principal. He should act like it.
Suspend the kids. Get MySpace to take down the profiles. But a lawsuit. Absurd!
What if someone wrote those nasty things on the bathroom stalls for everyone to see? Would he have grounds for a lawsuit then. I doubt it.
This guy just saw an opportunity and fueled by a lawyers prodding makes another embarrassing entry of the American Legal System.
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sure bob., 9 Apr 2007 @ 7:19am

uh huh
And the other reason is that they're spoiled brats, right? They've got to attend private school so they can be trained to look down on the rest of the soiled masses, like you obviously do.

The kids were just being kids, but as such they knew that they'd get into trouble if they got caught. I'm sure they didn't have the foresight to predict whether that punishment would take the form of school suspensions/detentions or a lawsuit. But I'm also sure that they weren't surprised by the fact that the principal wasn't willing to just let it slide.

Regardless of whether or not WE think it was wrong, I'd bet the farm that the students thought what they were doing was wrong when they did it. Should that matter? I think so.
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Wonder, 9 Apr 2007 @ 7:22am

Shoe on the other foot
So if the principle did the same thing to the students, would the out cry be for the students and the parents sue?
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gspot2016, 9 Apr 2007 @ 7:25am

Fire the Principal
What has happened to school systems. They just keep getting worse and worse. Principal should be fired!! And those educators that expelled the student for missing weekend detention just because they assume the kid has lazy parents. They should be fired. How did these people become educators? People that have have such poor judgment and common sense should not be allowed to work in a position of authority over kids.
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Tin Ear, 9 Apr 2007 @ 7:34am

Has anyone thought...
There is also the distinct possibility that the claims the kids made were closer to the truth than the principal was willing to admit, and he was ashamed of it. He might be suing to 'uphold his image and standing' with the rest of the faculty...
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anonymous, 9 Apr 2007 @ 7:39am

He should sue MySpace.

They just allow anybody to create a profile on there. Myspace is a horrible excuse for a web site. Everything about it is crap.
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azure rune, 9 Apr 2007 @ 7:41am

remove these laws not allowing to beat our kids ass's ive seen so meany kids applying to work for me who walk off after being told they are going to have to work and follow orders. these kids who want to be called adults or teens just for living to a ripe age of 16. spoiled and needing a wake up call makes me pissed off seeing whats going on.
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Casper, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:10am

Hmmm
Is it just me or does anyone else see that a principal was dominated by his students? Sad. Anyway, I could see suing to have the content taken down, but if it did as much damage to his "career" as he claimed then I would be looking a little harder at his background. There has to be more to it if those profiles did as much damage as he claimed... maybe he had a conviction or something in his past?

Anyway, I partially agree with azure rune. This kind of thing would have never happened in the past. Not because there wasn't a medium like the internet, but because those kids parents would have beat them silly, then turned them over to the principal so that he could get his fill. So far the kids produced by the new rules of "time outs" and "stern warnings" are below average quality... not to mention we have them brain washed to think "trying" is the same as "doing". I actually had a short term employee tell me he "was trying his best" to be at work on time...

Where my opinion differs is in the ages. I don't think these problems are limited to people in their teens. I encounter 40+ year olds who think that because they are older then other people, that they must be treated with more respect and are not required to reciprocate that respect. It floors me why some people believe age is a qualifier of respect. The way I have always looked at it is that everyone deserves a certain level or respect. From there they can move up and down my respect scale, but I always start them out on the same level. The new employee fresh out of school is going to get the same respect as a 30 year professional when we walk into a meeting.
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comboman, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:15am

The other side of the story
Here's the other side of the story from the student's perspective. He's suing as well (big surprise).
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enough is enough, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:18am

high school principal
There is a Japanese saying that goes like this...Kill the chicken..scare the monkey. I'm not suggesting anybody kill anybody...but you get the point! Make examples out of these punk-ass little bitches...sue them for "huge" future money...put them in dire straits(so much so that they can't even afford to own or use a computer). It seems no-one has got the balls to stand up and stop this shit. Good for this principal. Take their computers away and what do you have left...not much. Digital courage is way worse than liquid courage. Better yet...let's keep a close eye on them and watch the suffering as the generation below them tears their lives to shreds. I can hear the whining already. Keyboard Kowards.
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Casper, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:24am

Re: The other side of the story
I actually have to agree with some of what they said. It is not the place of the school to take action because of something non-hazardous that occurred entirely out of their jurisdiction. They are rather over stepping their bounds by disrupting his ability to graduate and participate with other students. Nothing he did affected other students or showed him to be a threat at large to the student population.

This is a case of people being to stupid to analyze a situation. All that needed to happen was to have his parents give him a good beating, give his principal an apology, and move along. Any legal proceedings carried by the student or administrator should be separate from school as they do not pertain to his education.
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Casper, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:25am

Re: high school principal
"There is a Japanese saying that goes like this...Kill the chicken..scare the monkey. I'm not suggesting anybody kill anybody...but you get the point! Make examples out of these punk-ass little bitches...sue them for "huge" future money...put them in dire straits(so much so that they can't even afford to own or use a computer). It seems no-one has got the balls to stand up and stop this shit. Good for this principal. Take their computers away and what do you have left...not much. Digital courage is way worse than liquid courage. Better yet...let's keep a close eye on them and watch the suffering as the generation below them tears their lives to shreds. I can hear the whining already. Keyboard Kowards."

Coming from someone who signed his posting "enough is enough"...
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:35am

Re: Re: The other side of the story
Uhh...wrong...
This punk needs to learn that this kind of thing is not acceptable end of story.

The principal is in effect the face of the school to the outside world. Thus the school is affected, had they not impersonated him, this would be a moot issue.
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Hypermagic2, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:55am

Doncha know??
He's the most graphic and lurid of them all lol.
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James, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:00am

Re: Had it coming
Wrong. These kids might think they are doing something fun, but if it costs this man his credibility or future ability to get/keep/change his job its a problem.

Parents pay attention to things like this, what if one of them comes across these profiles BEFORE its known that its a parody?

He's a position of authority over other people's children, he has to take this seriously.

If these profile's were simply him with a clown nose or said he worked at burger king or something that truly was only meant to poke fun he could perhaps chill.
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Casper, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:01am

Re: Re: Re: The other side of the story
"Uhh...wrong...
This punk needs to learn that this kind of thing is not acceptable end of story.

The principal is in effect the face of the school to the outside world. Thus the school is affected, had they not impersonated him, this would be a moot issue."

It is not the schools duty to parent. If a student violates their rules they can discipline the student in accordance with their rules. Nothing personal can be carried over to the school environment from the principal to introduce punishment. I can guarantee that there is not a rule saying that you can not "parody" a school official outside of school, therefore, he is not in violation of rules. This does not mean he should not be punished, but if he breaks the law, that is law enforcements responsibility. All other punishment duties for activities outside the school grounds that do not involve other students are the parents responsibilities.

Also, at no point did they claim to "impersonate" the principal. That is where the legal gray area is for this issue. Impersonation requires you to offer yourself as that person, where as this actually falls under a parody of the person. In this instance they could go for defamation of character, but that is a civil matter and not under the schools jurisdiction.
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nick, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:03am

had to sue
While the actual claim of lost future earnings may be questionable, the principal was in a tight spot and had no real choice but to sue. I've been doing some work trying to figure out Myspace's policies over profiles like this but they don't disclose how to pull profiles like this off and what they actually do varies from case to case. It can be a real hassle.

But even if he could have Myspace pull the profile down and avoid all this, there's nothing he can do to find out who made these profiles without filing a lawsuit. Myspace will delete the page, but won't release any identifying info about the account holder w/o a John Doe suit being filed first. If Myspace thought this was protected by the First and told the principal to take a hike, he really had no choice but to file a suit.

It's just like with the RIAA. ISPs refuse to reveal people's identities w/o a suit being filed first. After that, it's up to the suing party to decide whether to continue or drop the suit once they find the culprit. I can't find the suit itself, but it sounds as if the principal is continuing with or amended his suit.

Leaving aside the issue of schools expanding their reach into the private lives of students (schools are overreaching if you ask me), what else is this principal supposed to do? Just b/c he's a principal means he has to put up with Myspace profiles purporting to be made by him that are insulting? Everyone should have the right to stop this kind of behavior and, if possible, to seek damages if they can actually show harm (which should be a rather high bar to show). In actuality, b/c the streisand effect is in full swing here, I bet you plenty of high school kids will here about this and think twice about doing the same if they know these kids here were held to account. So while its too bad for this principal, his stand here will serve to establish new norms on how to use the Internet appropriately.
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Casper, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:13am

Re: had to sue
In the article it claims that they had had meetings to resolve this and an apology had been offered before the lawsuit correct?

I agree that schools are overstepping their bounds, but I also feel that it is a matter of the lines being too blurred. Parents don't step up enough and teachers step up to much, this leads to confusions on who has the authority in what situation. There are also the issues of personal vs professional that teachers get confused on. As posted by the reader above who incorrectly stated that the principal was representing the school to the public and that justified the action, people do not realize that there is a line dividing their roles. The teacher is employed by the parents to teach the student, personal matters are left at the door when they enter the school (at least they should). This applies to everything from politics to personal dislikes.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:16am

Eric W. Trosch the principle who is sueing the former students, has already punished the students with the help of the school district. One of the kids couldn't even get into the college of his choice because of the incident.

I'm sorry, but from what I have read about this guy, his future earnings are already damaged by the fact he is grossly overweight, and seems to be an outright "prick" about everything.
In my opinion, this guy probably shouldn't be an authority over anybody's children. For all we know, some of the accusations may have been correct, without real proof, and that is why he is attacking with a lawsuit so aggressively.
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Williams, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:40am

This is just wrong
This wont hurt the Principal. The page was down three days after it went up. And now the school is hurting his chance to get into a good college. This was noting but a joke and the principal a fat idiot has no sense of humor. His parents should be picketing the school. The students should be staging a walk out. They should be suing the school board for all the kids future earning if he doesn't get into Penn State University. And finding other ways to attack the school board. And I would stop at noting less than the Principals termination
And to the person who said.
"Americans.
Can't solve anything without a lawyer."

You are an idiot, the law should be the last recourse in most situations but the principal is the one who started it and the student should finish it. Never let anyone bully you and when they try make them regret it.
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The infamous Joe, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:41am

You forgot.
Some of you are oversimplifying this, I think.

It's not anything like having crude pictures drawn on a bathroom wall. I highly doubt anyone in said bathroom thinks the principal actually writes the things on the wall, nor do the school board members patrol the bathrooms before making decisions on promotions. However, a profile on myspace could be passed off as the real deal, and could affect promotions.

Another point that seems to be confused is saying that the school is going to far, but unless I'm confused, the school isn't suing the kids-- the Mr. Trosch is, and he happens to also be their principal. His job isn't important so much. Which also explains why he's sued. The school system doesn't have rules that say you can't make fake myspace pages for your principal-- but the legal system does. Were he to punish the children with detention or what not, it would seem to me that is where he would have overstepped his bounds. He's kept it in the legal system, not the school system, as is the right thing to do.

If some kids decided to make a myspace page for you saying you like to touch little boys, sure you could contact myspace asking them to remove it (which, if I recall, requires you to take a picture of yourself holding a sign that says "Hi Tom" and the date to verify that you are the person who the page is about) but you could be reasonably assured that another would just take its place. Or you could sue the little bastards and hit them where it hurts. In mommy and daddy's wallets.

I don't know about you, but I know that when I get a resume' on my desk, I check myspace. Lots on the information is worthless when deciding to hire someone, but if all the page is about is drug use, well, they won't be getting a call.

That's just how I see it.
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glenwood, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:46am

Re: azure rune's comments
AMEN! The school system became a pile of feces when we allowed parents to change the rules. Kids do stuff they should be punished for, always have, always will. Sometimes an innocent kid gets caught in the crossfire. But parents are either too stupid or ostriches and want to believe that their kid wouldn't do anything wrong, so they defend the kid when he says, "But I didn't do it". Let the pricipal run the school, give detentions, allow them to expel the kids and do what needs to be done to run a school. The inmates (and their parents) should NOT run the aslylum.
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Casper, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:50am

Re: You forgot.
"It's not anything like having crude pictures drawn on a bathroom wall. I highly doubt anyone in said bathroom thinks the principal actually writes the things on the wall, nor do the school board members patrol the bathrooms before making decisions on promotions. However, a profile on myspace could be passed off as the real deal, and could affect promotions."

Promotion considerations for a high school teacher take into account an obviously fraudulent mys pace profile? Why wouldn't they just ask him about it? Wouldn't suing a student hurt his chances more then a parody of him?

"Another point that seems to be confused is saying that the school is going to far, but unless I'm confused, the school isn't suing the kids-- the Mr. Trosch is, and he happens to also be their principal"

The problem is that he sued them, then punished them in school. Did you miss the part where they were expelled? You can not use both forms of punishment without drawing a line under which jurisdictions regulations they violated. Not only is he attacking them financially, but he also ruined one of their chances to get into the school of choice. Who is the adult in this instance?
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Casper, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:55am

Re: Re: azure rune's comments
"AMEN! The school system became a pile of feces when we allowed parents to change the rules. Kids do stuff they should be punished for, always have, always will. Sometimes an innocent kid gets caught in the crossfire. But parents are either too stupid or ostriches and want to believe that their kid wouldn't do anything wrong, so they defend the kid when he says, "But I didn't do it". Let the pricipal run the school, give detentions, allow them to expel the kids and do what needs to be done to run a school. The inmates (and their parents) should NOT run the aslylum."

A school can remove a student who is disruptive or a threat to other students, but at the end of the day, teachers who are unable to teach are about a useful as a square wheel.

I agree that there are a lot of kids that need to be punished for misbehaving, but you can not carry it beyond the confines of the school and under the rules of the school. It is NOT the place of the teachers to punish students or attempt to fix them for parents short comings, they are employed by the parents to make sure they do their best to educate the students. If a disruptive student needs to be removed, then he is removed. End of story. The problem with this case is that nothing these students did was in the school. They were not trouble makers, they were not a threat to the other students, and they did not violate school rules.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 9:58am

Re: Hehe.
"Americans. Can't solve anything without a lawyer."
You also forgot violence, and for those of you that would say stupid foreigner. I'm from NY so bite it.
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gen, 9 Apr 2007 @ 10:40am

you incompetent boob!
obviously suing the student causing them to THINK about
consequences before taking action probably will encourage others to THINK before they take actions. Like pulling out a key to a nice car no consequences no care. Maybe the parents can pay for defense maybe the parents can teach their children to behave responsibly.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 10:52am

I doubt he's suing to collect damages. I'd bet he suing to put the fear of God into those little rugrats. Whether he collects a dime or not, I guarantee those kids and their parents are basket cases knowing there's a lawsuit hanging over their heads. I'll bet those kids won't do aything like that again.

Equally important, if this guy appeared to do nothing about the situation, the signal goes out to all the students in his school that he's an amiable target for all kinds of pranks. Taking severe action that ripples down from the student to the parent level is worse than some kid getting detention for 2 weeks.

Kids under 18 don't have fully developed brains. They'll continue to do stupid stuff, that's what makes them so entertaining. It takes harsh consequences to make them even begin thinking twice about pulling a stupid stunt.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 11:02am

Re: Re: The other side of the story
"I actually have to agree with some of what they said. It is not the place of the school to take action because of something non-hazardous that occurred entirely out of their jurisdiction"

I thought the principal was suing, not the school or the school district. So the school isn't out of it's juisdiction since it's not taking any action.

Regardless, first amendment rights or not, what these kids did makes it extremely difficult for the principal to carry out his duties effectively. Interfering with his job function has to have reprocussions.
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William, 9 Apr 2007 @ 11:20am

Idiots
The student who is an model student with a 3.3 GPA apologized and tried to take the joke post down but it had already been pulled just 3 days later. And the principal had him sent to alternative school and expelled him and filed civil charges against him. The principal also tried to have criminal harassment charges filed against the student but the police declined to file charges. And now because of this principals actions he may not get to go to the college of his choice.
He is trying to swat a fly with a sledge hammer and the fly just happens to be a good persons life. This mans actions are sickening he should not have authority because he obviously cannot handle it. That mad for power jackass should lose his job for this. And the student should sue the school board.
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The infamous Joe, 9 Apr 2007 @ 11:36am

Re: Idiots
Haha, a 3.3 GPA does not make someone a "good person".

...and being a French tutor *does* make him a bad person. :P

(I kid, I kid..)
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a bunch!, 9 Apr 2007 @ 11:55am

What a bunch of sick *ucks.
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a bunch!, 9 Apr 2007 @ 11:56am

What a bunch of sick *ucks.
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Eric Trosch, 9 Apr 2007 @ 12:19pm

My space is just the begining...
With all of the scrutiny this case is getting, it would not be surprising if the defamatory profiles on MySpace spread to other websites. All this attention is going to be Eric Trosch's downfall. BTW, my name is Eric Trosch and I'm a big drunk, pot smokin, kiddy diddlin fatty. http://www.linkedin.com/in/erictrosch
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Oh Please, 9 Apr 2007 @ 12:22pm

GPA?
Since when does GPA determine whether or not a person should be subject to the same standards we hold everyone else to?

That attitude really bothered me when I was in college and saw kids smoking marijuana and doing coke regularly, while they looked down their noses at people serving prison sentences for engaging in the exact same activities.
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Sanguine Dream, 9 Apr 2007 @ 12:23pm

Re:

I doubt he's suing to collect damages. I'd bet he suing to put the fear of God into those little rugrats.

I highly doubt that. He may be trying to put the fear in them but he will try to score some cash too. Probaly enough to cover his court costs, lost wages, and whatever he calculated the "damage" to his reputation was.

And one more thing. In order to prove that his reputation was damaged and all that don't you have to prove that what was said about you was not true and that the offender knew it was not true?
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 12:28pm

Re: Re: Had it coming
Too many ifs there.

What if in all likeliness no one gives a shit about the myspace profiles.

What if parents NEVER see the profiles?

What if the parents don't give a shit about them?

What if they have ZERO impact on his future ability to get/keep/change his job?

James, you're a twat and so are all the other sue hungry idiots here.
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nick, 9 Apr 2007 @ 1:03pm

calmer heads
There is a definite pro-student bias in this discussion, which I think only underscores the fact that many people have issues with schools and the people that run them. I totally agree, but what these kids did is beyond the student/teacher relationship.

Yes kids should not be punished at school for what happens out of school, but then again, you can't tell a teacher fu every time you see them outside and think that you're beyond punishment. That the Internet blurs geographic boundaries applies no less with schools: post something from home and you better expect someone will see it at school while school is in session. At that point, what's the difference if the posting happened somewhere else?

No the student probably has no first amendment interest here. It's not political. It's not personal. It has no greater social import. These kids put up a profile that was hurtful to the principal and portrayed him falsely, to the entire world (or everyone who cared to look) no less. The first amendment gives you the right to say whatever you want, it does not give you the right to say whatever you want with no consequences if its untrue or hurtful.

Yes I believe these kids might have committed a crime. Now it could have been worse, but these kinds of fake postings online stir up lots of trouble. What if I create a fake profile of an ex and put up all sorts of identifying info (picture, address, phone number, etc.) and then sit back and wait for all the crazies out there who can't tell its a faked page to harass the person? What about the woman in Seattle who had her home looted because of a fake Craigslist ad? First amendment I think not.

Granted it doesn't appear that any such details were included on the page, but people ought to have the right to protect themselves from these kinds of things online and use whatever the law gives them. I could easily see someone in the school district coming across the profile and the whole situation turning into a debacle just like that substitute teacher in Connecticut who's facing jail time for pop-up porn in the classroom. Yes, schools may be totally f'ed but that doesn't mean teachers need be held hostage by people "protecting the children."

And since when is 18 too young to be held accountable? At 18 they'll give you a gun and ship you off to be the face of this nation in a foreign land, but you're not responsible for what you do to other people online? Bogus. Maybe these kids didn't expect to be sued but they knew what they were doing wasn't right. The Internet is a powerful tool and there shouldn't be special immunities for kids. I can't tell who's who on the web, but something that hurtful, mean, and potentially damaging is so regardless of who posts it.

I agree with everyone who thinks the whole situation is just terrible and shouldn't have been handled this way, but then again, if someone spoofed me on Myspace I'd like to reserve the right to sue as well if the page was bad enough.
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rEdEyEz, 9 Apr 2007 @ 6:53pm

Ah, the good old days...
When I was in school, if you pissed of the teacher/principal, they'd take you out back and kick the shit out of you.

Later, when the parents found out, they'd kick the shit out of you again.

Guess what? We didn't do that kind of BS, any more.

...Parents/teachers (society in general) these days, nothing but a bunch of sniveling cowardly socialistic fingerpointers.

Beat'em down, I say.... (isn't that what all you little gangbangers out there do, anyway?)

ha ha whaaaaaa!!
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astarre, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:14pm

Re: calmer heads
Amen to all. I believe that suing the these kids is way over-the-top but what these kids are doing is prejudicial to good order. And frankly, I thought Google cached old web pages and whatnot...so won't this be available for a long time coming? I adamantly disagree with the pro-student attitude here. At what point are these kids (and all kids really) going to learn that their actions have consequences. Kids today are overly shielded from and routinely absolved of all responsibility for the stupid crap they pull. Chances are, if the principal had stepped out of the line in any manner, you can bet the parents would be screaming for his head, clammering for his dismissal, and suing for money and expungement of their precious angels' records...think of their reputations.

To put it in perspective. I'm active duty military and some of the people in my unit created a fake myspace for our unit commander. I can assure you he, nor the post leadership, were amused at any level. They got the message loud and clear about personal responsibility when they lost rank/stripes and had money withheld from their paychecks as punishment. Obviously the environments are different but the principals are the same.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2007 @ 8:31pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: The other side of the story
"they created parody MySpace profiles for him that listed interests such as smoking pot and watching pornography."

This means they assumed his identity...thus impersonated him, they did not create a page about him, they created a page as him.
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Matt, 10 Apr 2007 @ 8:09am

looks like a victory for free-speech? http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/technology/11593503/detail.html
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enough is enough, 10 Apr 2007 @ 8:21am

Re: Ah, the good old days...
It's about time someone else realized what some of these little pukes are getting away with. I would not hesitate to also take these parents who are blind to the shit their kids are doing, and even defend them, out the back for a good shit-kicking. If these punks want to play at big kids games they should understand big kid rules. Put enough fear into them so they knock their shit off...gangbang this...I'd shove their keyboards up their asses...no cops, no lawsuits!
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enough is enough, 10 Apr 2007 @ 8:25am

Re: Re: high school principal
Ya, this is coming from someone who signed "enough is enough"..it's obvious your are a BIG part of the problem, you bleeding heart wimp-ass liberal coward, you'll grow up(maybe) to make a great parent..NOT!
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Peter, 10 Apr 2007 @ 8:58am

high school principal
What I see in this forum by so many is so disturbing. What ever happened to accountability? Teachers are no longer allowed to discipline and are forced to apply bull $hit PC guidelines. These kids defaced this man and his only recourse was to sue for the criminal act that these kids committed. It is easy to say that he is over reacting until it happens to you and your career is in jeopardy for it. Bottom line, The parents are responsible as are the kids who committed this act. (I also put blame on Myspace and hold them accountable). Its called consequences and accountability! You did the crime not face the music for it! I completely support this man and his actions! I hope this tarnished these kids records for a long time to come and a lesson is learned! Since he cant kick their asses, he has no choice but to sue!
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Peter, 10 Apr 2007 @ 9:55am

High School Principal
William, your so closed minded and ignorant.

Your statement of "He is trying to swat a fly with a sledge hammer and the fly just happens to be a good persons life" is do disturbing. HOW EXACTLY IS THIS A GOOD PERSON THAT IS DEFILING the reputation of an INNOCENT person? A 3.3 gpa is not that high and not indicative of a quality person! It seems to show that they are not that smart and are not facing the consequences of HIS ACTIONS! He did this to himself, not the person who has filed charges for his OWN actions. Whats the word again... OH yes. Consequences and accountability! Well, you didn't get to go to the college of choice because of what you did to yourself!
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Dean, 10 Apr 2007 @ 2:57pm

Re: Re: The other side of the story
"Three days after he posted the profile, Justin tried to remove it, Mr. Walczak said, but it had already been pulled from the site."

It was up for 3 days.....what the hell is the lawsuit for? I can understand fighting fire with fire, but punish the kid and move on...dragging it out only makes things worse and will make the principal a bigger target than he already was.
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futureofthosekids, 11 Apr 2007 @ 10:22am

Re: Are you 12?
I totally agree this crap doesn't have a place anywhere!!! How would those kids, or the parents of those kids like to be bashed all over the net, in the news? Oh, that would be a different story. How can you respect yourself or have any redeeming qualities when you go around bashing other people? They think it makes them sound popular with their peers and it makes them powerful. I doubt a criminal record would make them feel powerful on a job interview:)

These kids are our future? How could they help create anything positive with this behavior? This can only create war and hate because of their ease to spread anger, disrespect, prejudice, and profanity! What good can anyone see in that? They deserve their punishment if they can't abide by gradeschool level laws and rules of moral decency. It will come back to them 10 fold!

Too bad more parents aren't aware of what their kids say on the NET. It is a parent's right and responsibilty to PARENT/supervise. It is not the school's responsibility to watch these kids on their computers at home or outside of school property! Expecting kids to be mature, have good morals, ethical, and socially responsible is a joke. Parents need to be in control more than ever before, because of the acessibility to the internet, weapons, and drugs. No company would hire these kids who have a record of any indiscretion. Have these kids even thought about how all things are going to be held against them for the rest of their lives? I doubt it! Their future would be bleak!
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HMann, 13 Apr 2007 @ 6:44am

Re: Board of Education
Bingo. When they took away the paddle and the 'hands on' discipline circa 1970's in the schools it was all over. Kicking ass and taking names is the way the world works....sadly. These kids took this from the level of writing on the bathroom stalls to the Internet. If they had the balls to do that much, then the only thing that gets their attention is fear. And while he's at it, how about some fear for the stupid bastards that spawned them?
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papascali, 17 Apr 2007 @ 6:03am

stupid
call me papascali
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baker, 17 Apr 2007 @ 6:05am

i loves boyz
baker loves little boys and he wants to get screwed by a mouse also :)
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babyscali, 17 Apr 2007 @ 6:08am

im gay
hey im babyscali and i suck little boys pee pees!!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Apr 2007 @ 6:09am

i am baker and i dont think its cuazy if i like big ol chocolate pee pees B==================D
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Apr 2007 @ 6:12am

glamorous im flying first class up in the sky champeign rockin my thighs
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Apr 2007 @ 6:19am

alexander k knobb loves dick
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Danielle, 19 Apr 2007 @ 11:02am

Students
I will never why students can be permitted to commit this type of offense and still get away with it. If students want to ruin their lives and not focus on getting educated from both the home and school. Teachers or any adults should be paying for their lack of maturity and rebellness.
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Marina, 19 Apr 2007 @ 11:17am

STUPIDITY
It is the principal's fault if the students went this far to insult and "ruin" his reputation. He should of never gone public. This is going on so frequently in our public school system. What is going on? Like the shoot out this week. All because of what children are permitted to watch hear and see. This education comes from early childhood, the home. Parents should not expect school to "educate" them The greeatest errors parents commit are when students are taken out of public school's to a private education thinking the school will change them. OF COURSE NOT!! That is the parents resposability to educate them and give them the discipline that is need to they don't grow up to be child "adults. full of insecurities and the incapability to maintain a job as a resposible adult.
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SMOKE-CRACK-COCAINE, 24 Apr 2007 @ 7:13pm

SMOKE BUDZ
WHATS WRONG WITH SMOKIN BUDZ
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liam albitres, 27 Apr 2007 @ 5:53am

math
he should sue but not the students he should sue myspace for its issues to the world
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mzZ thannggg!, 29 Apr 2007 @ 5:41pm

Bahahaha...!
hmmmm... ds iss realyy hilariOus iff yoo askk mee! hehe
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Anonymous Coward, 8 May 2007 @ 12:09pm

Re: I'm on the prinicipals side here
Did you ever do something stupid when you were a teen ager? Would you like to be judged by it? I think not.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 May 2007 @ 12:11pm

Re: What's the difference?
You are so right
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Anonymous Coward, 8 May 2007 @ 12:14pm

Re: high school principal
Do you have a life?
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Ryan, 24 May 2007 @ 9:11am

BULLSHIT!!!!
This fuckin article sounds like bubblegum bullshit FUCK that principal and da writer of dis DAMN SHIT!!!
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bill, 15 Mar 2008 @ 6:27pm

response
Oh, yes, it'd be MUCH better for him to simply accept it, and let the malicious little buggers have their fun. Good lord, otherwise they might actually learn that actions have consequences.
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Pissed off parent, 31 Oct 2008 @ 11:47am

Re: What's the difference?
hey - I know this stuff is old (2007) - but I SO MUCH agree with this person!!! To me - when you take on the job of Principal - you had BETTER be prepared for people to take jabs at you! Students OR parents! It's not different than being the President or Prime Minister. Needing to have THICK SKIN comes with the territory! I was at a private party - and DRINKING and said that my son's teacher kisses the ass of the Principal - and the Princiapl hauls me into his office - repeats this "hearsay" and gives me SHIT! WHAT AN ASSHOLE!
I have one thing to say to ALL Principals who can't take the heat... GET OVER YOURSELVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you can't take being "slagged off" then GET THE HELL out of the profession!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IDIOTS.
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