Interview of Mr. Farren

Does Germantown punish students for their out of school actions?
-If the student is involved in co-curriculars they are subject to punishment under the athletic code.
-If the student is involved with no school activities the school does not deal with the student.
-The only way that actions outside of school will be punished in school is if it is forseeable that a problem will occur because of it, they only deal with threat based issues and slander are punishable, opinions are left alone.
-For example, if two people are arguing and one person says im gonna kill you the next time i see you. The next time they will see that person will probably be at school and that could cause a problem so the administration steps in to prevent the problem from spreading to school grounds.

State Statute 120 basically states that anything that a student does at school, on school grounds, or while under the supervision of school athourity can be punishable as if the student were in class, this includes field trips, anything occuring on school property whether or not school is in session, while at sporting events, or anywhere else you may be under the schools supervision.

How long does it take for the information from an out of school incodent to make its way back to you?
-If it occurs in Germantown, the turnaround time for finding out is about two days max. If it occurs in Washingtown county it varies from days to months.

Have students been punished for things said on social networking sites?
-No unless what is said is considered a threat or slander and can be forsseable that a problem will occur in school because of it.
-Another rare case of punishment being used is because of fake facebook pages being made. A student makes one for a teacher or another student and says some bad things to others or saying that they are a pedifile and that can ruin someones name and reputation. Saying bad things to other people could make some people very angry at the innocent person that had a fake facebook made of them.

Does the school do anything about what they hear such as rumors?
-If the school hears rumors about fights going to happen they will notify law enforcement about the incodent but the school will not take action.
-If a student got caught with posession of marijuana on school property and the administration heard rumors that that person is a dealer, that rumored information can be used at expulsion hearings.

If a cell phone is confiscated at school, can someone be punished for information on the phone?
-Yes, anything that is found on the phone can be used against them. Administration does not go through all phones they get, only ones with suspicion or rumors of the student doing bad things

Farren, Joel. Personal interview. 5 Nov. 2010.