teacher is trying to sue me...

[qod03]

What is the name of your state? Connecticut

The other day i was in study hall talking to my friend from kazastan...we were jokin around and we brought up that i told her pervert meant athority figure, she asked me if a specific teacher was a pervert and i said she was indeed an authority figure...then i started laughing and gave up on the joke. I told the kazastan girl that a pervert was someone who wants to fondle others. The next day i got pulled out of class and brought into a room with my guidance counsler, a security guard, vice principal, and the 'specific teacher' used as an example. I was told that my study hall teacher had emailed the vice principal and the 'specific teacher', she exagerated the story incredibly sayin that i said a pervert was someone that fondles people and that i used the study hall teacher and the 'specific teacher' as examples of perverts. What i said happened is the truth and the students in class would say the same thing. The 'specific teacher' is my english teacher and i have nothing but respect for her, this has ruined her opinion on me, but i talked to her and i think she understands the situaion. During the conferance they called my parents at their work and requested they came into school after feb. vacation on the 24th to discuss the matter. My study hall teacher is a practical law teacher...and i had problems with her in the past, and she has threatened to sue me before, but because she had no just cause her complaint went nowhere. now she is trying to innfluence the specific teacher to sue me for libel. I understand that libel must be written and or perminent, and if anything it would be slander if i had called anyone a pervert, but i defined pervert as being an authority figure in a joking manner and told her the real meaning (to the best of my knowledge) shortly afterwards.

First I would like to know what i should do about my study hall teacher starting this propganda, and I would also like to know how to deal with this situation.
an opinion will help. thanks

 

[Beth3]

No, you're not going to get sued. What occurred does not remotely meet the legal standard for libel or slander so I can only assume that either your practical law teacher knows practically nothing or is trying to put a scare into you so you don't do something like this again. Yes, I can see how it was funny and also the potential for it to backfire big-time, as indeed it did.

If high school teachers sued every student who did something foolish or said something nasty about them, they'd spend ALL their time in court.

What you can do (if you haven't already done it) is to go to your English teacher and offer a sincere and heartfelt apology, tell her you have always had the greatest respect for her and that this was just a silly prank that was no reflection on her at all. And then hope for the best. Chances are your English teacher has better things to do than try to sue over something so minor and may know enough about the law to realize there's nothing to sue over anyway.

And whatever you've done to tick off your study hall teacher, I suggest you quit doing.

 

[hmmbrdzz]

I agree that you should remain on good terms with the English teacher you offended (it sounds like you have already discussed something with her and that she is OK by it). I've got a problem, though, with this practical law teacher threatening to sue you and/or encouraging other teachers to sue students over this kind of stuff. That is ludicrous remedy by a teacher and makes for an unhealthy environment for study. If something is still being discussed about this "'pervert" issue, and if mention of a "lawsuit" is ever thrown out on the table by an authority of the school (and you are present or it's directed at you), your parents would probably want to make a pretty strong statement regarding their opposition to these kinds of threats by a practical law teacher to you (or any authority of the school). I would suggest you advise your parents of what's going on with this practical law teacher's threats (if they don't know), and if her threats continue, I would take the matter up with the school authorities above her. Threatening students with lawsuits is just not something a teacher should do.


hmmbrdzz

 

[qod03]

thanks

thanks for the advice...
I am going to bring up the law teacher's threats to the administration of my school, but i doubt theyd listen unless i brought a lawyer, my school is very corupt and whenever I bring up an issue i have with whats wrong in the school, i get ignored. something has got to change in my school, although this is my last year, i still think it would be worth the trouble to hire someone professional to investigate our school. Itd be complicated and tidious to try to explain it but the corruption in my highschool is unbelievable. an example of this could be our administrations harrassment of the swim team...the school has something against the swim coach, who i know personally, and this year the new athletic director has been nitpicking and looking for ways to hurt the team and making rules up as he goes along. Thats not even the begining of the schools problems...hatred between teachers and groups of teachers or how the school seems to allow rules to be bent untill they decide to enforce them; its like giving a dog the run of the yard, then when the owner getss bored he yanks on the chain. nothing is done by the books in this highschool, and id feel like a hypocryt if i didnt try to do something about it. Only problem is im not sure how to go about making things better. ive discussed this with my parents and they back me up on it, but we havnt decided just yet if we should pursue change in a school im leaving in just a few months. i regret not acting sooner. well idk im just ranting i suppose, but i would like to hear from a 3rd party as to how they think i should act in this sort of situation. thanks again for your replys, you helped make sense of the situation and i believe itll work out fine in the end.