School Authority

I know the laws have been slightly adjusted for an educational settings in both the public and private levels, but is there any regulations on how far school authority power may extend?

For example, is it kosher for a school in either the public or private sector to prohibit one student from socializing with another via all means including but not limited to:

Verbal communications
Chatrooms
E-mails
Private Messages
Phonecall
Note passing
Talking via middleperson(s)
Or even being in the same building unless under adult supervision.

While the Court had previously made clear that students in public schools were entitled to some constitutional protection 118 and that minors generally were not outside the range of constitutional protection, 119 its first attempt to establish standards of First Amendment expression guarantees against curtailment by school authorities came in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. 120

There, high school principals had banned the wearing of black armbands by students in school as a symbol of protest against United States actions in Viet Nam. Reversing the refusal of lower courts to reinstate students who had been suspended for violating the ban, the Court set out the balance to be drawn.

''First Amendment rights, applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment, are available to teachers and students. It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the school house gate. . . .

On the other hand, the Court has repeatedly emphasized the need for affirming the comprehensive authority of the States and of school officials, consistent with fundamental constitutional safeguards, to prescribe and control conduct in the schools.'' 121 Restriction on expression by school authorities is only permissible to prevent disruption of educational discipline.''

In order for the State in the person of school officials to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint. Certainly where there is no finding and no showing that engaging in the forbidden conduct would 'materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school,' the prohibition cannot be sustained.'' 122

For example, is it kosher for a school in either the public or private sector to prohibit one student from socializing with another via all means including but not limited to:

SOCIALING - may have no communication with "socialed" friend. This includes phone calls, letters, e-mail, chatrooms or notes, nor can the two be in the same vincinity.

What kinds of discipline are used with students at OBI?
Minor school infractions will earn a student an after-school detention. Teachers and deans may also assign essays to students. We do use limited corporal punishment in some instances, but only the school principal, Dean of Girls and Dean of Boys are allowed to administer this punishment, in the presence of witnesses, and no more than two per day. A common form of discipline is the assigning of extra work duties to young people who break the rules. The consistency and predictability of rules is a major reason many of our students turn their behavior patterns around and experience success.
Students may also be "campused" for the evening. This means they cannot go to "free time" or to the computer lab that night.

Boys and girls can also be "social campused" from one another in cases of inappropriate behavior. Students who are "socialed" can have no form of contact with each other for a specified number of days.

Oneida students who are suspended on campus are required to work during the school day. Suspensions may last anywhere from one to ten days. An average suspension is three days.

Boys generally work on the farm, yard crew or by doing supervised jobs on campus. Girls may be assigned to the greenhouses or the kitchen area.

We would hear about the rules from Rita from time to time when we would call or visit, (you must wear hose all the time,
no wet hair in public, boys and girls in seperate elevators, no open-toed shoes, your 'socialed' (i.e. grounded) for a
week, and on and on) from her and from her campus friends, but we failed to see how the rules were chipping away at her
and her faith.

Every time a rule is violated in some indirect way, it seems a new rule is established to cover a new possibility.

and i spose "socialed" means no heavy petting?