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11.27.07
School Officials Force Students to Turn Over Cell Phones
Violate Students’ Rights by Reading Text Messages
MASON, OH- In a letter today from the American Civil Liberties Union
of Ohio to Dr. David Allen, principal at William Mason High School, the
ACLU of Ohio warned school officials that their current practice of
seizing student cell phones and reading personal text messages was poor
policy and unconstitutional. Recently, the ACLU of Ohio received
complaints from students and parents at the school because several
administrators began confiscating phones and reading private text
messages to determine if the students attended private parties off
school grounds during the weekend.
ACLU of Ohio Legal Director Jeffrey Gamso said, “School officials cannot
just confiscate a student’s private property because they think a
student attended a party after school hours. Attendance at a
private party that does not disrupt classes and does not occur on school
grounds is none of the school’s business. Private student social
activities are issues for parents, not the school.”
Gamso continued, “Forcing young people to hand over their cell phones
simply so officials may read the text messages would be no better than
requiring a student to bring in their personal diary so officials could
inspect it. It is a grave violation of the students’ privacy.”
Throughout the past several weeks, the ACLU of Ohio has received
numerous complaints from students and parents at William Mason High
School. Some complained that staff threatened them with disciplinary
action if they refused to turn over their cell phones.
In his letter to the school, Gamso also claimed that the school’s
actions were curtailing the students’ free speech rights by instilling
fear in them that any text message they send or receive may be read by
the school.
Gamso concluded, “Schools do not have a right to confiscate students’
personal property in order to investigate something that may or may not
have even occurred, and if it did, was outside of school property and on
students’ free time. Young people do not shed their constitutional
rights at the school door and barring an incident that disrupts the
learning process, schools should allow parents to monitor their children
outside of school.”
The nonprofit, nonpartisan ACLU of Ohio office is located in Cleveland
and has community and campus chapters located throughout the state.
There are almost 30,000 ACLU members and supporters in Ohio and more
than 500,000 nationwide.
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Read the ACLU of Ohio letter to Principal David Allen
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