SmartAleq, I’d just wish that I could believe the lion’s share of the cost of this expensive lesson were to come from the pockets of the people who made these decisions, rather than the district taxpayers who were never even informed of the system’s existence.
The cash settlement for this case is going to be a wash for a lot of parents. They’ll get some dough, but their taxes will go up to pay for the settlement. The people who get screwed are all the non-parents who live in the district. They get the higher taxes without any compensation at all.
'Tis a pity that a permanent 90% lien on the earnings of every administrator involved isn’t possible. Or enough money, either.
That’s basically what I meant.
And photo-documented ones, too!
As I understand it, at equity and in the absence of relevant statute law holding officials harmless, an action taken by a public official:
[ul]
[li]Not in a policy making position and in accord with public policy – municipal corporation pays[/li][li]In a policy making position in accord with public policy set “hjgher up” or in accord with “reasonable discretion” in administering policy – municipal corporation pays[/li][li]Not in a policy making position and not in accord with public policy – individual is culpable, municipal corporation is held harmless[/li][li]In a policy making position and acting ultra vires – individual is culpable, municipal corporation may or may not be, depending on whether it was negligent in supervising the person acting ultra vires[/li][/ul]
I may be wrong on this, but that’s what I remember as being the level of protection accorded by hold harmless law for public servants.
Yes, I was skeptical, but it seems I was wrong – it all now sounds quite damning.
Beating is too good for them. The invasion of privacy issues here are so obvious and great that insanity defense seems to be the only option. Surely there was no intelligence at work here.
It’s not just the pictures – can you imagine how freaked some of the students are to think that what they were messaging to friends, what websites they were visiting, may be exposed to all the world – or at least to their parents?
“Yeah, sure, let the record show that when Jane Parent asks why did nobody warn her that her precious little one was being drawn into the underworld of stolen school property, drugs and sex, the newspapers will report that Assistant Superintendent Joe Merijeek argued that kids have a right of privacy from adults. C’mon, Joe, you saw the results fo the Board Election, it was a solid Zero-Tolerance ticket sweep. Besides, you KNOW nobody’s going to sue us and have it made public that we caught their little princess smoking spliffs at a rainbow party!”
It’s entirely possible to graduate high school with an excellent education without ever having been provided a laptop computer.
Yeah, let’s blame Apple Computer for building great laptops that require less tech support and upkeep instead of the idiots who thought spying on kids was a good idea… talk about a fucked up perspective on life.
How is that even related to anything SmartAleq said?
It’s not, except that even associating Apple indirectly with anything unsavory or imperfect is against the Third Commandment of the Book of Jobs. And when heresy is abroad in the world, the acolytes must seek it out and put a stop to it.
Talk about a fucked up perspective on life…
Yep, as much as I am outraged by the school district, as a tax payer without children living in Upper Merion, I’m bracing myself for the impending beating we will take after the dust has settled. And I moved from the next town over, partly because of the school district, as we are planning a family in the near future. Oh the irony!
I believe a settlement would be paid by insurance. The raise in taxes to pay higher insurance would not equal the settlement.
Read just a little bit upthread. The insurance company is trying to bail.
<browser hung, and I double-posted>
So…as a local, and a taxpayer, how loud is the outcry for heads to roll? Is the superintendent elected or appointed?
-Joe