Overreact First, Stay Safe

You've got to love the freedom private schools have at taking away the freedoms of its students. Such is the case at St. Hugo of the Hills in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Here's a link to the news article.
Now I want to chime in, because to me this is just more than a restriction on students First Amendment rights. Yes, I accept that private schools have a different set of rules and guidelines that you must abide by. I can understand blocking Myspace in the school computer lab, but to go as far as try to regulate what goes on at the student's home?
I went to a Catholic high school. I had a class on religion every year, specifically Christianity. Also, because I lived in Hawaii at the time, so I had to take a Hawaiian History class. Not a huge deal. I accept that as necessary. Learning isn't bad for thing for school. This though, goes against any sort learning policy. The restriction of an internet site such as Myspace isn't part of the learning process.
What gets me is that a school official is quoted as saying that 99.9% of the parents support their decision. Either Sister Margaret is lying (which I find hard to believe) or she doesn't know percentages. OK, she's probably exaggerating but still to me it would indicate that most of the parents would prefer the school regulate such things. Whereas I feel that internet usage at home should be in the realm of parenting. Yes, I realize that the parents are probably busy with work and trying to provide food and shelter. But this is important and should be treated as such.
- "The Internet can be wonderful for educational material, but it also can be unsafe," principal Sr. Margaret Van Velzen said. -
Yes, I agree. The internet can be unsafe. But do you know what else can be unsafe? Driving, alcohol consumption, tobacco usage, walking across the street, picking your nose, and playing on the playground. Damn near everything can be unsafe. The schools have a right to regulate those things on school property. Example: To play four-square at school I have to wear a helmet, elbow and knee pads. Fine, that's what I have to do. But if the school told me that I had to wear those things when I was playing in my neighborhood with my friends I'd probably tell them to go to hell. The school could even make it a policy that to attend the school I had to wear all the crap, I'd still tell them to bite me.
- "School officials felt it necessary to apply the new policy after recent cases of adults, some in authoritative positions, posed as minors to converse or meet with young boys and girls." -
*gasp* They posed as minors to talk! Oh my God! The Internet is unsafe! Wait, didn't my parents tell me never to talk to strangers? Huh. Well, I did anyway but when I went out to meet them I always told my parents. I guess I'm strange like that because MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME THAT! Yeah, that's right. Parenting. Still, they would try to stop me but I'd go anyway. At least they knew where I was going though even if they didn't approve of it. I rebelled within the system.
St. Hugo parent Kate Lynch said it's a great start. "I think we've got a long way to go because it's a very difficult situation to grasp in its entirety," Lynch said. "There's so many things going on on the Internet and there's so much vulnerability for children."
and
Another St. Hugo parent, Liza Stanczak, said all schools should implement the policy. "I think this is just the beginning of schools taking a stand against this kind of thing," Stanczak said. "I think this is going to have to happen because things are getting out of hand."
OK, I agree with the first parent's comment. Regulating what our children can and can't do on the Internet is important. The second parent comment just pisses me off, to me it just screams "I'm too lazy to parent so the schools should tell my kids what to do!" You know what I think Liza? It is getting out of hand, the lack of parenting in America today is just awful. Oh, you're talking about the Internet? SO WAS I!
And to the naysayers that would tell me that "you don't understand because you don't have children." You're right, and you know what? I'm not ready to be a parent but that's my choice and I accept responsibility of my actions and so should you.