Apparently it's in response to the following story...
School Prohibits Use Of MySpaceThis is stupid! This will do absolutely nothing to deter the kids of St. Hugo of the Hills from having MySpace accounts. They'll simply find new ways to go underground and keep it up. In fact, Principal Van Velzen has probably caused more students to start using MySpace: it's the same thing that happened during Prohibition, they outlawed it and it only made people want it that much more.
Students Can't Have MySpace Account At School Or HomePOSTED: 10:02 am PDT March 23, 2007
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- A Bloomfield Hills school is enforcing a new policy that bans the use of a popular Web site.
St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic School students were told recently that under a new school policy, called Think First, Stay Safe, the use of MySpace.com will be prohibited at school and at home, reported WDIV-TV.
The policy states that students enrolled at the school can't have a MySpace.com account or any similar type of personal site, according to a news release.
"The Internet can be wonderful for educational material, but it also can be unsafe," principal Sr. Margaret Van Velzen said.
At the beginning of each school year, students and parents will be required to sign an Internet policy.
School officials said it was 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.
Van Velzen said the decision was made with full support from the school's parents' organization.
"Ninety-nine-point-nine percent have been very supportive, and I've received many e-mails thanking me," Van Velzen said. "Our parent community is very supportive."
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."
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."
Students who have existing MySpace.com accounts must delete them. Students who do not delete their accounts cannot attend the school, Van Velzen said.
That said, I thought "Sister Margaret Van Velzen"'s MySpage page was pretty hilarious.
I am absolutely stunned that a principal actually thinks he as the authority to tell students what they can and can not do after school ends. And even more stunning, is the fact that parents agreed. I think that it is up to the parents to decide what their children are aloud, or not aloud to do. I think in this situation the parents are being extremely lazy in their parenting habits, by not setting the rules themselves. If the parents do not want their children on the website, they should put a block on it, or not allow THEIR children access to the internet withouth their supervision. Parents need to start taking responsibility for their children, instead of having other people raise their children for them. Thumbs down to the parents and the facilty. Where do the rights of the American People come into play here? I don't think the children should have the right to do as they please, but I don't think the principal should be allowed to make dicisions about their personal lives.
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