Cyberbully law allows Illinois schools to demand pupils' Facebook passwords
New law forces pupils suspected of breaking rules on social media to reveal passwords
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 25 January, 2015, 7:46am
UPDATED : Sunday, 25 January, 2015, 7:46am
The Guardian in New York
A new law will force cyberbullies to hand over their Facebook passwords.
There's an emerging threat hanging over the heads of school cyberbullies: a new law will force children to hand over their Facebook passwords.
A controversial measure, which came into effect on January 1 in the US state of Illinois, insists children must open up their social media accounts if a school has reasonable cause to believe a pupil has violated a school's policy on social media, even if the post in question appears after school hours.
The move comes as cyberbullying is on the rise but also at a time when other US states have passed legislation forbidding schools from invading students' privacy on social media.
Some Illinois parents have already expressed concern after receiving letters from school districts informing them about the new rules.
"It's one thing for me to take my child's social media account and open it up, or for the teacher to look or even a child to pull up their social media account," said Sara Bozarth. "But to have to hand over your password and personal information is not acceptable to me."
Leigh Lewis, school district superintendent for Triad Community Schools in Troy, Illinois, said media reports about the new rules had "taken the letter out of context and created an unnecessary controversy".
She said a change in Illinois law required school districts to investigate all instances of cyberbullying, regardless of where the incident had taken place. Parents must be told when the school wants access to their child's account. Lewis said no children had yet been asked for passwords.
Forty-nine states have anti-bullying laws. However, at least 13 states have legislation that forbidding employers or schools from demanding passwords.
