Teachers at a high school in the U.K. are considering whether to strike if a student who used a camera phone to take a revealing photo is reinstated, according to an article in The Evening Chronicle.
The student at St. Cuthbert’s Catholic High School (terrible Web site) in Newcastle used a camera phone to take a photo of a teacher’s cleavage as she was bending down. The article says the student was caught by a staff member as he was writing a “rude caption” to the photo.
The student might have sent the photo to his friends’ cellular phones, but no proof is cited in the article. The student was expelled but his parents asked that he be reinstated.
Voting over striking
An independent appeals panel decided the boy should be allowed to return and the decision is supposed to be binding on the school.
Teachers are voting to determine whether to strike.
Expulsion or not?
Teachers in the U.K. and many other countries are concerned about the problems cause by cellular phones — everything from cheating on tests to “cyber bullying” to “happy slapping.”
But should a student be permanently expelled for one improper incident? Assuming this is a first-time occurrence, it doesn’t seem fair to me.
Frankly, I think his punishment should include something related to camera phones. For example, require him to take interesting photos — of nature, his family, science in action, whatever — and post them on the school Web site.
However, the chances of that happening are, I assume, slim to none.
Update (5/9/06): Teachers have voted to strike, according to an article in BBC News. Jerry Bartlett, deputy secretary of the NASUWT (abbreviation not spelled out -- boo), teachers union, says, "Our members will not teach the child concerned because they consider that he constitutes a hazard to the health, welfare and safety of the teachers in the school."
Alan A. Reiter, president of Wireless Internet & Mobile Computing and editor of "Reiter's Camera Phone Report" says, "Ridiculous"! No, the BBC didn't quote me!
Comments