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Pupils suspended for posting 'hate list'
By CHASE SQUIRES, Times Staff Writer LAND O'LAKES -- Is a hate list a hit list? Pasco school officials on Wednesday suspended two Land O'Lakes High School freshmen who reportedly admitted they posted on the Internet a list of students and teachers they hated. "If you're on this list it means we hate you," the site said, according to Land O'Lakes principal Max Ramos. Along with the statement, a cartoon figure of a man with a funny helmet held a ray gun at his side, then raised it. On the list were 60-70 students and five or six teachers, Ramos said. Some of the teachers were concerned for their safety, Ramos said. And at least one student came to the office for reassurance, he said. The school reported no incidents of any students staying home out of fear. The freshmen, whose names school officials have not released, were confronted Wednesday morning by a school resource officer and admitted responsibility, Ramos said. Ramos suspended the pair until school officials assess the intent of the site and the potential danger to students, he said. Regardless of intent, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Bruce Howie said the students' right to free speech protects them. Without a threat to do harm and the apparent means to carry it out, people have a right to say what they want. There are exceptions, Howie said. If statements would create a public danger, like yelling "fire" in a theater, speech can be limited. In commercial statements, speech can be regulated. And in schools, all bets are off. In the real world, anyone can tell anyone else they hate them. People can post lists of people they hate, Howie said. But schools operate in their own arena. Posted rules of student conduct are law. That's how schools are allowed to inspect lockers and establish dress codes, Howie said. If it's in the student manual and the rules apply to all, courts have upheld school decisions. Pasco schools prohibit "intimidating school staff or students or threatening them with violence, i.e., words, notes and false rumors." Rules also prohibit "harassment of school staff or students, including actions, verbal comments or written materials." Students also are forbidden from name calling, telling dirty jokes or making written comments about someone, such as on a bathroom wall. The question might boil down to where the students created the Web site and whether that falls under school jurisdiction, Howie said. Suspension for hate lists is not unprecedented in Pasco schools. In 2000, two Mitchell High School girls were suspended for 10 days after a profanity-laced list titled "People We Love" was found. Officials determined it actually named people the girls did not like. Ramos said school officials learned of the Land O'Lakes Web site Tuesday from parents and students. The site has since been taken down, he said. In a letter to parents, Ramos said officials found the site malicious but didn't consider it an immediate threat, so he allowed school to go on Wednesday. Howie said the School District likely will find latitude in the courts if a suspension were challenged, provided students were allowed to present their case to a board, such as the School Board. Even then, and even if the students can show they meant no physical harm, they could still be suspended, he said. "All you have to do is say the word 'Columbine,' and the idea of due process is transformed," Howie said.
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From today's Pasco Times |
