Sparta, NJ school censors blogging

A private and religious institution has ordered their students to stop blogging.

Students at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta appear to be heeding a directive from the principal, the Rev. Kieran McHugh, to remove personal postings about the school or themselves from Web sites like myspace.com or xanga.com, even if they were posted from the students' home computers.

Officials with the Diocese of Paterson say the directive is a matter of safety, not censorship. But constitutional experts say the case raises interesting questions about the intersection of free speech and voluntary agreements with private institutions.

I feel safe blogging or using MySpace.com. Heck, even facebook!

While the school feels it is a matter of safety, it is clearly censorship.

"There was a student who thought he was talking to another teen, and that was not the case," said Marianna Thompson, a diocesan spokeswoman. "Young teens are not capable of consenting to certain things, especially when they're being led along by adults."

You think I'm stupid? I know better. There are always fakes on Myspace and Facebook. You just have to think realistically.

Kurt Opsahl, a staff attorney at the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, which champions the rights of bloggers, said there have been several attempts nationwide by private institutions to restrict or censor students' Internet postings.

"But this is the first time we've heard of such an overreaction," he said. "It would be better if they taught students what they should and shouldn't do online rather than take away the primary communication tool of their generation."

Thompson said such a ban has been on the books at all four of the diocese's regional high schools for five years, but is being strictly enforced now. It does not restrict their Web surfing or writing about other topics, she said.

McHugh referred inquiries to the diocese.

No one will censor me EVER. I happen to plan on going to law school after college. Yes, law school. I was asked a few days ago if I plan on a career in comedy. The off year is nice but my heart says to follow my passion and my passion is in politics.