Mark Cheramie Walz Interviewed on Smart Talk Radio on the Topic of Students and Social Media
Media Mention
Mark Cheramie Walz was interviewed this week on WITF's "Smart Talk" radio program on a recent ruling that said a student could be punished for comments made outside of school on social media.
Smart Talk is a daily, live, interactive program featuring conversations with newsmakers and experts in a variety of fields and exploring a wide range of issues and ideas, including the economy, politics, health care, education, culture, and the environment. Smart Talk airs live every week day at 9 a.m. on WITF’s 89.5 and 93.3, and online at www.witf.org.
In the ruling on R.L. v. Central York School District, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania indicated that a school was justified for suspending a student for a Facebook post made outside of school, because the comment was found to be a disruption to school activities.
On the program, Mark discusses a number of issues, including:
- How this ruling is the opposite of rulings in recent years, which have said you can’t regulate speech made by kids out of school
- The difference between a student’s claim to free speech and a perceived threat
- The possible future effect this has on student discipline for similiar occurrances, and also on cyberbullying, something schools have grappled with for years