ACLU Comes Out in Support of Suspended Pennsylvania Teacher

Last week, we shared the story of a Pennsylvania school teacher who was suspended for 30 days without pay over a Facebook picture of her with a stripper at a bridal shower party. The twist in the case is that the teacher did not post the picture to Facebook herself. Rather, it was posted to Facebook by another party guest. In determining the teacher’s punishment, the school board was at odds over whether she could be held accountable for something that someone else shared, but ultimately decided on the 30-day suspension.

Naturally, the fairness of this decision has been called into question. If the teacher was doing something in her spare time that didn’t involve students and was perfectly legal, why should she get in trouble for her actions? According to the Associated Press, the American Civil Liberties Union is asking these same questions, and has taken an interest in the case.

It will be interesting to see what happens as more attention is brought to this case. Will the school board rescind its punishment? Considering that the teacher was suspended, rather than fired, it’ll probably just fall by the wayside. Nevertheless, it shows that the issue of personal privacy online is one that is still evolving, and that you must always be careful about how you’re presenting yourself online.