Brickbat: Leave Those Kids Alone

In North Carolina, the 2012 School Violence Prevention Act has just taken effect. Among other provisions, that law bars public school students from using computers to "intimidate or torment" school employees. And the law bans students from publishing online statements, even truthful statements, that are likely to provoke someone to "stalk or harrass a school employee."

Comments

[WTF]

And the law bans students from publishing online statements, even truthful statements, that are likely to provoke someone to "stalk or harrass a school employee."

No First Amendment problem here.

[sarcasmic]

Some animals are more equal than others.

[The Late P Brooks]

even truthful statements

How much will it cost to chisel "The Truth Will Set You Free" off the facades of all those old schoolhouses?

[db]

It costs nothing. Arbeit macht frei.

[Ted S.]

Once again the biggest bully of them all is the State.

[PS]

A new state law, the 2012 School Violence Prevention Act, that will be the first in the nation to impose criminal sanctions on public school students who use computers with the "intent to intimidate or torment" school employees will go into effect Dec. 1.

I could see suspending kids, don't really agree with but I could see that, kids can be suspended for saying fuck or other constitutionally protected speech. But criminal sanctions? That's surely a clear-cut 1A violation.

Wait, isn't criticizing a public employee a hate crime?

[buybuydandavis]

Wait, isn't criticizing a public employee a hate crime?

You betcha. Tax livestock are always in trouble when they get uppity against the tax farmers.

[Way Of The Crane]

Here's the entire law.

My favorite part:

Section 3-Except as otherwise made unlawful by this Article, it shall be unlawful for any person to use a computer or computer network to do any of the following:
?
(3) Plant Make any statement, whether true or false, tending intending to immediately provoke, provoke or and that actually provokes that is likely to provoke, any third party to stalk or harass a minor.

I wonder who gets to decide if those true statements are intended to provoke harassment?

[Way Of The Crane]

sorry... my copy and paste job included the laws edits.

Here it is without the strikethroughs included:

Plant Make any statement, whether true or false, intending to immediately provoke, and that is likely to provoke, any third party to stalk or harass a minor.

Interestingly, that part about harassing a minor originally said school employee...

It's been changed since December 4, when I first read this law.

[Rich]

intending to immediately provoke

Your Honor, I intended that statement as a *delayed* provocation.

[The Late P Brooks]

Apparently our education establishment wants every student to leave school with a police record.

[db]

Well, kids have been scoffing at that whole "permanent record" thing forever. Time to give it teeth.

[sarcasmic]

It already has teeth. I was kept out of the military because of something I was accused of doing in high school. No charges or conviction. Just an accusation. But it was enough. All that stuff about records being purged is a bunch of crap.

[db]

Wow. That sucks.

[sarcasmic]

They take allegations involving drugs very seriously. Drugs are a moral issue, and anyone who is even suspected of being involved with them has a damaged moral core. Drugs are bad and anyone associated with them is a bad person who can't be trusted to kill people for the benefit of politicians.

[R C Dean]

For some reason, we seem to want our morally damaged ex-drug users giving orders, not taking orders.

[waaminn]

There is a dude that clearly knows which way is up dude.

http://www.GetsAnon.tk

[Way Of The Crane]

Peddle your crappy privacy software somewhere else.

[Killazontherun]

So long as he is capable of posting, that is on Reason.