Blogging Response

In response to David Hudson’s articles on blogging he poses a very persuasive point and counterpoint.  In “School Officials Don’t Have Authority to Regulate Students’ Off-Campus Blogging,” Hudson’s main point is, students have a right to express themselves under the protection of the First Amendment without consequences from school officials.  In “School Officials Should Have Broad Leeway to Regulate Student Blogs and Student Online Speech,” Hudson counterpoints that if school officials aren’t allowed to regulate student blogs we will continue to see an increase in cyber bullying, violence and teen suicide.

I agree that we are all entitled to our right of freedom of speech as United States citizens.  I also agree and recognize that children are citizens and are entitled to these rights as well; however, I do not feel that children are mature enough to understand the complexity of this amendment and therefore should be monitored.  Most students understand that they have the right of freedom of speech, but I bet if you ask a student who has lost a law suit due to a threat they placed online, many of them will say they weren’t aware they were breaking a law.  If school officials aren’t allowed to monitor and punish students for inappropriate blogging relating to the school, think about the problems schools will start encountering as a result.  Schools will no longer be run by school administration or a school board; instead the students will be the one running the school.  If students are allowed to blog disrespectfully about peers and school administration without consequences, we will see a rise in the number of students that begin blogging this way.  After time it will turn into school administration fearing students and therefore a decrease in public educators. 

Parents and school officials have an obligation to teach children appropriate blogging for the safety of everyone.  Hudson provides Arapahoe High School’s blogging policy in his counterpoint to show schools are already stepping up to the challenge of addressing blogging before an issue arises.  To read the policy, visit the school’s website at http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net.  Listed under curriculum is the school’s blogging guideline.  Each school should have a blogging policy that has been approved by the State Board of Education.  The policy should be specific about what instances are not tolerated and the punishment that will be received for such offenders. If states and schools will become proactive in addressing such instances, then most offenses will never reach a court. 

Hudson’s counterpoint that “School Officials Should Have Broad Leeway to Regulate Student Blogs and Student Online Speech” was more persuasive in my opinion.  Hudson provided more evidence that by not allowing school officials to regulate student blogging a larger threat was occurring to a majority of people.

In conclusion to my thoughts and response to Hudson’s articles, I would like to point out one final observation.  Students and parents who argue that schools shouldn’t be allowed to regulate blogs are merely thinking about themselves and their rights; however, those arguing that schools should be able to regulate blogging are thinking of a larger percentage of the population. These individuals are trying to prevent bullying, violence and suicide from affecting their community.

Works Cited

Hudson, David. “Blogging.” New York: Chelsea House: 2008. 8 Feb. 2011 <http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/lib/sooner/docDetail.action?docID=10284452>.