My daughter is a fifth grade student at C.B Jennings elementary school. She is a good student, good grades, and never in trouble. She was intimidated into unlocking her phone so an administrator could go through it. All because she was overheard telling her friends- "I'm not on speaking terms with you because you ignored my texts last night" and they classified that as BULLYING.
She was brought into in the office and questioned to the point of tears on Monday morning and I was not notified until Monday afternoon when I got to the school. They scared her into believing that she's guilty by association even if someone's talking about something they shouldn't in a group chat! They seemed to have an issue with a specific group chat on instagram that her and a few other fifth graders talk in. Kind of absurd considering how popular technology is and how kids feel like they have to stay in constant contact with their friends. Anybody remember AIM?
The administration didn't even tell me they went through her phone, they made our conversation out to be a warning, if you will, about the other kids she was friends with. After finding out about the ILLEGAL search I attempted to contact the NL BOE and was dismissed and told to take it up with the principal of the school. So I tried to do just that, but when I went to my SCHEDULED meeting with the principal she was conveniently unavailable.
I feel like I'm being dodged and avoided since they now know that I'm privy to the fact that they searched her phone without so much as a phone call to me! Kids don't give up their constitutional rights simply because they're in school. Does NLPS have some sort of exemption from the need to comply with federal laws- the constitution?
