education and internet

I am a teacher from the Cleveland area in Ohio. Recently, a middle school student made a web site in which quite a few teachers at or school had their own page. Each page used the teachers name and used a great amount of profanity, accusing the teachers of doing unlawful things such as raping students. Many comments were very sexual. The web site has been taken down, but we do have a copy. Our union lawyer said there is nothing we can do since it was not done at school. One teacher said her personal lawyer said the same thing (nothing can be done). I find this so hard to believe. Are there any laws that protect teachers, or anyone for that matter, against this type of action?

You might have a cause of action for libel -- but you'd have to show actual damages, such as loss of reputation, lost wages, etc.

I'll bet the middle-school kid's website wasn't exactly top-notch or believable, so I think you can safely rest assured that no one gave credence to this punk's besmirchment of anyone's character. This would make proving your reputation damages very difficult.

Furthermore, even if you won, you wouldn't be able to gain much from a child in a judgment, anyway, which would make it hardly worth your time and trouble.

That's because many states limit the amount of liability that parents have for their children's actions, so you'd spend more pursuing it than it is worth.