what are my rights at school?

[Cody3137]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
arizona

a friend of mine was using the computer at our school. He was using the public account and found another student's essay. as a joke, my friend made various changes to the essay and then printed it out. he brought it to lunch and showed it to me. after sharing a few laughs about it i wrote down some additional changes that i thought would be funny as well.

obviously this is the classic tasteless joke gone wrong scenario.

another student found out what was going on and took the essay to the Vice Principal. Later in the day i was called out of class and she confronted me about the essay. i told her that i knew nothing about it. she asked me for a handwriting sample and i gave it to her. i was sure to write differently than i normally do. and she sent me back to class.

i was absent the next day. but the friend who printed out the essay told me that he was confronted in the principals office about the essay. he told me:

"I told them i found the paper in the computer lab behind my computer and it was already written on. I thought it was funny so i showed it to you. Then the principle pulled out some assignments from class. one of yours and one of mine. He told me 'I think I know who it was.' and i said i didn't do it and then he said 'Oh i know you didn't do it. But i think you know who did.' and i said 'nope.' Then he asked me if i was sticking to my story and i told him yes. he said 'whats on the line for you here?' so i said 'graduation.' and he said 'Yup.' so i said 'You can't keep me from graduating just because i don't know who did it.' and the principal said 'No. But you took it from the computer lab and that's stealing and i can suspend you for that.' Then he said 'This investigation isn't over. I'll have consequences for one of you if not both of you tomorrow.'"

So, i guess my question is, what can the administration do at this point? Can my schoolmate indeed be suspended for stealing? Or is he just trying to intimidate him?

[HomeGuru]

Originally Posted by Cody3137

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
arizona

a friend of mine was using the computer at our school. He was using the public account and found another student's essay. as a joke, my friend made various changes to the essay and then printed it out. he brought it to lunch and showed it to me. after sharing a few laughs about it i wrote down some additional changes that i thought would be funny as well.

obviously this is the classic tasteless joke gone wrong scenario.

another student found out what was going on and took the essay to the Vice Principal. Later in the day i was called out of class and she confronted me about the essay. i told her that i knew nothing about it. she asked me for a handwriting sample and i gave it to her. i was sure to write differently than i normally do. and she sent me back to class.

i was absent the next day. but the friend who printed out the essay told me that he was confronted in the principals office about the essay. he told me:

"I told them i found the paper in the computer lab behind my computer and it was already written on. I thought it was funny so i showed it to you. Then the principle pulled out some assignments from class. one of yours and one of mine. He told me 'I think I know who it was.' and i said i didn't do it and then he said 'Oh i know you didn't do it. But i think you know who did.' and i said 'nope.' Then he asked me if i was sticking to my story and i told him yes. he said 'whats on the line for you here?' so i said 'graduation.' and he said 'Yup.' so i said 'You can't keep me from graduating just because i don't know who did it.' and the principal said 'No. But you took it from the computer lab and that's stealing and i can suspend you for that.' Then he said 'This investigation isn't over. I'll have consequences for one of you if not both of you tomorrow.'"

So, i guess my question is, what can the administration do at this point? Can my schoolmate indeed be suspended for stealing? Or is he just trying to intimidate him?

**A: yes, the schoolmate can be suspended.

[Cody3137]

Originally Posted by HomeGuru

**A: yes, the schoolmate can be suspended.

is that legally plausible though? according to the school, anything printed at the school is there property. but the paper never left school grounds. is it stealing if the property never leaves the grounds? and the paper would have been thrown away anyways, if my friends story were true. i mean obviously the principal can suspend people at his discretion, but is there any way he could fight it?

im sorry if it seems like im grasping at straws, i'd just feel really terrible if he didn't get to graduate.

[Ohiogal]

Originally Posted by Cody3137

is that legally plausible though? according to the school, anything printed at the school is there property. but the paper never left school grounds. is it stealing if the property never leaves the grounds? and the paper would have been thrown away anyways, if my friends story were true. i mean obviously the principal can suspend people at his discretion, but is there any way he could fight it?

im sorry if it seems like im grasping at straws, i'd just feel really terrible if he didn't get to graduate.

Yes. It is stealing. In addition to being thieves you and your friends are liars and immature children. There are consequences. Hopefully both of you are discovered and expelled. (Because yes, expulsion is possible -- and depending on what was written on the essay it could also be criminal).

[perroloco2]

I'm pretty sure the computer techs at your school can show that your friend accessed and changed the paper on the computer in the lab. It seems that they already know both of you altered the paper. Plus, they have a witness in your other friend. Both you AND your friend will probably miss graduation.

[GaAtty]

Perhaps I am missing something, but I do not think you said that you or your friend turned in the essay to any teacher or anyone else. It makes a difference wgat you did with it. If all that you did is print out the document and write on it and keep it, I cannot see that it is plagarism. If you or your friend did turn in the changed document for a class and pass it off as your work, then that is plagarism and it would be like stealing someone else's work.