Protecting students' free speech

Hartford (WTNH) - Last year a federal judge ruled that school officials in Burlington had the right to punish a student for disparaging remarks she made about school officials on the Internet. The incident prompted a bill going before the General Assembly to protect students' free speech when they are out of school and on-line.

The bill says, "No school may censor or punish speech of a school student...unless the speech: Is demonstrably likely to cause material and substantial disruption to the educational process."

State Senator Gary LeBeau (D-East Hartford) is a retired public school teacher and says school administrators were out of line.

"I was upset by thinking that the schools could reach into and essentially, her private space which is a blog, and punish her for something she said on her blog," said Sen. LeBeau.

But representatives of the state's public school principals and local boards of education are fighting against any law that protects kids' rights to sound off on the Internet.

"This bill will put additional limitations on the ability of boards of education, through policy and school administrators to enforce a reasonable disciplinary atmosphere in the schools," said Patrice McCarthy, CT Assoc. of Boards of Education.

"School principals, everyday, are dealing with kids' parents who are coming and saying; 'you won't believe what happened on the Internet last night,' or, 'what was said about my daughter, she's afraid to come to school,'" said Dennis Carrithers, CT Assoc. of Schools.

Proponents say these are all legitimate concerns, but that reaching out beyond what goes on inside the school buildings is stepping on constitutionally protected areas.

"Certainly bullying is a problem that we see and on-line bullying is a problem, but there are opportunities, many ways for that to be addressed outside of the school through parents, through the legal system," said Patrick Doyle, ACLU of CT.