Parents sue school for viewing son with webcam
A government school in Pennsylvania used cameras and microphones on laptops issued to students to locate missing laptops and, oh by the way, to also monitor students. Yes, the “telescreen” devices from the book 1984 have arrived in 2010. Parents of a monitored student have sued the school after receiving a photo of their son engaging in what the school considered to be inappropriate behavior. Read more
Suspended for Facebook page, student can sue
A federal judge ruled a former high school student suspended for creating a Facebook page that criticized her English teacher can sue the high school principal who suspended her. The page entitled “Ms. Sarah Phelps is the worst teacher I’ve ever had” attracted current and former students, some of whom criticized the teacher and others who offered support. The student, Katherine Evans, took down the page after a few days. Two months later, the principal suspended her for creating the page. Represented by the ACLU, the student, now in a second year college student, wants the suspension expunged from her record, payment for legal fees, and a nominal award. See news coverage and legal info.
Germans flee to home school in US
For all we write about persecution in the United States, when it comes to home schooling, German citizens flee their country for the freedom to teach their children. A US judge recently granted asylum to a German family with five children. The article in the French paper, Le Monde, used accurate language to describe the goverment’s “free” “public” “school system” as compulsory schooling. However, the article cast home schooling as driven by religious views, when it’s about allowing people the right to study what they want and how they want. The idea of sitting in a room with 30 other people with different abilities and interests, yet all being forced to learn the same subject is not what many would call smart schooling.
“Free Range Kids”
A New York City mom who allows her nine-year-old son to ride the subway wrote an article about her mothering ways and became an overnight news story, cast as the “Worst Mom in America.” Many hate e-mails later, the mom wrote a book called “Free Range Kids” and now maintains a blog to argue that childhood is about discovering the world, not being held captive, and some of kids’ fondest memories are those on their own. With more mom’s thinking that children deserve more freedom, the less likely it is that power-hungry politicians hell-bent on showing they’re tough on crime will propose laws restricting the actions of teenagers. If kids deserve free range, they don’t deserve government schools with locked-down campuses. It wouldn’t be surprising if the author decided to home school her son, giving him “free range” to learn what interests him, rather than topics chosen by the federal and state government or the local school board. Read more
Court approves uniform protest with “Hitler Youth” buttons
Filed under: Express Yourself!, Rockstars, School, Uncategorized
Totalitarian, egalitarian, envious school bureaucrats love uniforms. They force everyone to be equal and suppress free expression. Two students, in the fifth and seventh grades, at schools in Bayonne, New Jersey, protested their schools’ new uniform policies by wearing buttons stating “no school uniforms” with a slash through them along with a photo of Hitler Youth boys wearing identical shirts and neckerchiefs. No swastikas appeared on the buttons. School admins threatened to suspend the students, so their parents sued. Referencing the famous Tinker arm band decision, a judge ruled the protest may continue because it did not disrupt the school. Read more
10 rules for dealing with the police
Did you know that if the police ask you to step out of your car, you should close and lock the door after you exit? Same goes for your home, step outside and speak to the police outside your home. A video from Flex Your Rights illustrates this advice and more. For an encounter, the video shows how you should not act, then shows how you should act. If the former, the subject goes to jail. In the latter, he or she proceeds. Read more
Youth rights group sues to repeal Florida curfew
Residents of the warm, year-round climate of Palm Beach, Florida, regularly stay outside during the late evening, unless they happen to be under the age 18. A local curfew law bars those under 18 from being outside past 10 pm weeknights and 11 pm weekends, unless, one is exercising first amendment rights, including the right to peaceably assemble. Confusing, isn’t it? The National Youth Rights Association of Southeast Florida sued the city to repeal the law they claim contains a First Amendment exception that, in the words of their star attorney, “swallows” the law. Read more
Freedom at lunchtime! Students do what they want.
At a Maryland government school, lunch time now provides a healthy break during the day. Administrators turned lunchtime into free time. All students have the same lunch hour, and students can do just about anything they please during the hour. Some just eat and relax, while others also play sports, hold student group meetings, and study for afternoon tests. Teachers and administrators use the time to meet one-on-one with students, reducing the need for early morning and after school sessions. Everyone benefits. Read more
Gov school bans skinny jeans, home school doesn’t
Filed under: Express Yourself!, Government Schools, Home Schools, Rockstars
An ultra-conservative, Texas government “school” does not allow the latest denim craze: skinny jeans. Administrators at a Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite gave Seth Chamlee a choice: change into some pants provided by the school or go home. He went home and he’s going to stay there. His mom said, ““We’re going to home schooling. He can learn more without the distraction of what to wear. To not be getting your education because of pants … I don’t want him to learn that.” Read more
Youth rights org wins $25,000
The National Youth Rights Association won $25,000 in a Facebook community giving contest! The organization received enough votes to place them in the top 100 organizations. The 100 finalists now compete for a grand prize of $1 million. The voting begins January 15. Help them out by visiting their Facebook page.
Welcome to Libertarian Rock
Libertarian Rock helps and promotes teenage activists — Libertarian Rockstars — who peacefully and legally fight back against unjust laws and harassment by politicians and government workers. Starting with curfew protests in 1997 in San Diego, Libertarian Rock supports the right of people aged 13 and older to live autonomously. More >>
