The surrogate
It begins with a woman who yearns for a baby and another who is willing and able to give her one. You can imagine the motives of the prospective parents. But what about the woman willing to carry a baby, give birth and then walk away?
Friday Night Rewind It doesn't matter which team you cheer for. We've got video previews of every high school football program in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando County.
High school administrators ought to have their hands full keeping order on campus. Not at Braden River High School in Manatee County, where school officials have added regulating free speech on the Internet to their domain.
It's another example of the long-running turf war between administrators, civil liberties activists and rebellious teenagers.
Braden senior Mike Egloff, 18, was not allowed to attend his graduation ceremony scheduled for today after administrators came across a rap song he helped record and upload to MySpace.com.
School officials cited profanity, sexual innuendo and threats of violence in the recording, which did not involve any public property. They said they had jurisdiction because some students had listened to the song at school on iPods.
The Manatee County school system seems to have forgotten that the constitutional rights of students don't end at schoolhouse doors. School officials need a remedial course on the First Amendment if they think they can punish teenagers for off-campus activity.
Since 1969 in Tinker vs. Des Moines, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of First Amendment rights for students. The only caveat is that administrators can restrict on-campus speech that would disrupt normal school activity. This case does not meet that standard. Even Web sites that profanely criticize school officials have been protected.
These particular song lyrics are not egregiously offensive. Lyrics cited include "Lakewood boys is going bleed" and "Lakewood Ranch, I'm your No. 1 problem." That's Sesame Street material compared to some songs playing on the radio.
It's a shame that graduation day will have passed before the punishment could be inevitably overturned by the courts.
Egloff's out-of-town relatives had already made plans to attend the ceremony. It seems as though it's the school, not the students, who have done the disrupting.
[Last modified: Jun 10, 2008 01:40 PM]
Comments on this article
by Concerned Parent
Jun 10, 2008 1:40 PM
Their were also 2 brilliant undrclassman that have never been introuble in their lives from good homes that made ONE mistake and were suspended 10 days an placed in alrernative school that doenst offer the advanced classes they need.Fair? I think not
by me
Jun 9, 2008 1:58 PM
Not "educators" but "administrators" are ignorant...
by Kay
Jun 9, 2008 1:46 PM
When his song was uploaded, brought to school by other students, it became a school issue. Parents, stop giving your children uncontrolled access to your computers!!!
by jimmy
Jun 9, 2008 10:21 AM
Those under the age of 21 have few CONSTITUTIONAL rights. School administrators have a big responsibility to manage the behavior of students. Instead of hammering the officials, St Pete Times editors should be applauding them.
by Dorothy
Jun 8, 2008 12:34 PM
No wonder so many parents home-school. Who wants to associate with such uncontrolled riff-raff.
by Paul
Jun 8, 2008 12:31 PM
Thanks for reconfirming my belief that school administrators don't have a lick of sense.
by joe tampa
Jun 8, 2008 9:09 AM
This is what can happen when 'educators', and their students, become ignorant of our Constitution. They don't seem to know what it's about.
by Timmy!
Jun 8, 2008 9:09 AM
So the kid's rights trump the administration's responsibility to insure EVERYBODY'S SAFETY? Gimme a break.
Had the kid gone Columbine the courts would be clogged with lawsuits! Maybe he'll think twice next time.
His future employers now know.
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