Should Schools Limit Students’ Online Speech?

Introduction Introduction includes an eye-catching opening statement and is thoughtful The background to the debate is discussed; both sides of the argument are discussed The viewpoint of the author is clearly stated/thesis statement The argument(s) to defend the thesis statement are discussed Introduction has a minimum of (5) sentences

Poor Introduction Sometimes people do things that they shouldn’t do online, like saying nasty things about someone else in Facebook. That’s really a bad idea because that can really hurt someone’s feelings. The school should tell everyone they can’t do that. Some people are just too immature to deal with Facebook.

Proficient Introduction Are we really free? As Americans, we like to think that we can do what we want. But maybe it shouldn’t be that way. Most students use texting, email, and social networking sites without any issues but some students abuse these methods, even on their own time, and cause big problems in schools. As a result, schools should be allowed to limit students’ online speech. There are many reasons to support this view but the best reason is because cyber bullying is a widespread problem that impacts both students and teachers.

Body Paragraph Each paragraph starts with a mini-thesis/argument that will be discussed in the paragraph Author utilized all of the resources given connected to the mini-thesis/argument The information cited strongly supports/defends the author’s viewpoint; specific information Author acknowledged there is a counterclaim with evidence “Although…..” “People who oppose this view say…” Author addresses the weakness with the counterclaim; states why their view is stronger The documents being used as evidence are clearly cited following the fact; ie. (Doc C)

Poor Body Paragraph A lot of people do this kind of stuff on the internet. Girls are the bigger problem and are just nasty to other girls. A lot of girls are both the victim and bully at the same time and cause a lot of the drama in school (Doc A). Because of this I think schools need to do something because it’s just wrong.

Proficient Body Paragraph Cyberbullying is a widespread problem today. As the use of social networking has increased so has the number of incidents involving cyberbullying. According to a report by the Cyberbullying Research Center, about 7.2% of students reported being cyberbullied in the past 30 days alone (Doc A). Another startling statistic is that 1 out of every 4 girls and 1 out of every 6 boys have been a victim of cyberbullying (Doc A). It is not just students who are the victims of cyberbullying. A study from the UK showed that over 15% of teachers had experienced cyberbullying (Doc B). This proves that not only students but teachers are also being impacted by cyberbullying. Those who state cyberbullying is not a big problem show that 75% of teen girls and 83% of teen boys have never been the targets of cyberbullying (Doc A). Although these facts are legitimate, still 41% of students surveyed have been victims of cyberbullying which proves schools need to limit student’s online speech as it is a serious problem that cannot be ignored (Doc A).

Conclusion Author restates their position on the topic The author leaves the reader with a clear understanding of their position The author acknowledged the opposing viewpoint by using “Although” statements Conclusion is a minimum of (5) sentences

Poor Conclusion In conclusion, people should be mature and behave better. If they don’t, they might hurt other student’s and teacher’s feelings and the school should prevent that.

Proficient Conclusion When our Founding Fathers created our civil liberties they had no idea that such concepts like the internet and Facebook would exist yet become the center in the debate over free speech in schools. When it comes to ensuring education is not disrupted, schools should limit students’ online speech. Cyberbullying is a widespread problem to not only students but teachers which impacts the quality of education in schools today. In looking at the survey on bullying and comparing the results to SHS, close to 100 students at SHS have been cyberbullied in the past 30 days (Doc A). When 100 students are being affected then the school needs to do something, even if what is being posted is outside of school. Although the First Amendment protects students from schools having free reign over what they post on social networking sites outside of school, this freedom ends when it starts to infringe on the rights of other students to both be able to learn and not feel threatened while in school.