Will a suspension destroy my college career?

Applying to College
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<p>Recently I made a blog online. The blog was personal and anonymous, but somehow students at the school found it. The school got really mad because I had talked about a few students that go to the school. Once I realized people were reading it, then I just decided to keep going with it. I got an email from the blog website saying they were releasing my IP address. I confessed to my teacher that I made it, but I never wanted it to be discovered. I told her how scared I was of the situation. </p>

<p>She told me not to worry and told me I could trust her and such.</p>

<p>I got called into the principal's office on Thursday, but I didn't answer any questions (they had no proof, they just said that "a reliable source" told them I confessed"). He got mad, yelled at me, and told me to get out of his office.</p>

<p>The resource officer called me into his office yesterday. I told another teacher (one that had my back 100%) what was going on. The officer tried yelling at me and intimidating me, but my teacher looked up my mom's number and told her to get down to the school. My mom got there and then the officer's tone changed drastically. In the end, I had to give a voluntary statement in which I confessed to the blog.</p>

<p>I am suspended for 5 days and the principal said he was going to recommend me for expulsion. On top of that, I am being charged with Disturbing School, but he told me I qualify for PTI (which would take it off my record completely). </p>

<p>I told my closest friends and the teacher (who has my back) everything that happened. They're all enraged at the situation and said they would fight for me. They're currently creating a petition to fight for my place in school. I miss exam week completely and then it's Christmas break, so I'll make everything up once I come back. </p>

<p>How will colleges see this? People are telling me that the school overstepped their part greatly, but other people are saying I did it on purpose and I wanted to cause trouble. I have no disciplinary record WHATSOEVER, at least until now.</p>

<p>I have not been arrested yet. The officer told me that he will get a warrant to see who the IP address belongs to and then they'll match it up with me (which I don't really know how, because I used an unlocked WiFi network in my neighborhood). </p>

<p>Should I inform my colleges of this right away? The suspension is in the computer already, so there's no denying that. How will colleges see this? How do you see this? The principal told me "Colleges won't care about a suspension, but a criminal record will DESTROY your future. You will have NO future." The charge is a misdemeanor, but I still hate how it happened. I regret everything that I did. </p>

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<p>What would you be arrested for? </p>

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<p>@neatoburrito‌ The charge is “disturbing school”, which is a maximum of 90 days or $1000 fine. I just called a college I’ve been accepted to and he (ended up being a police officer who works with the campus) said that, to his knowledge, he doesn’t think that the suspension will show up on the transcript. He said he knows for a fact that the college won’t be aware of the charge, because they don’t run background checks.</p>

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<p>I don’t see how this is disturbing school if it’s something you did outside of school. Without knowing what you wrote, it’s hard to say. I’m glad you got some assurance from the college though. </p>

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<p>Consult a lawyer, especially if they’re involving actual law enforcement. I have my suspicions what it is you actually wrote and if you went there, yeah, you’re in a bit of trouble. And deservedly so.</p>

<p>A lawyer will be expensive but may be money well spent. Find one who has dealt with this sort of thing before - you aren’t the first one in your town/city/state to have done whatever it is you’ve just done.</p>

<p>FWIW, if your blog went into certain areas, the teachers who said they’d have your back are required by state law to report you up the chain. That’s why I think you went where I think you went.</p>

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<p>Did you use real names of students?</p>

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<p>Actual names is not the issue - identifiable characteristics is. See UVa and Lena Dunham cases. And in some cases, you don’t have to identify anyone, just making general threats is enough.</p>

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<p>Here is the actual law:
Disturbing Schools Law for South Carolina
SECTION 12. Section 16-17-420 of the 1976 Code:</p>

<p>"Section 16-17-420.
(A) It shall be unlawful:
(1) For any person willfully or unnecessarily (a) to interfere with or to disturb in any way or in any place the students or teachers of any school or college in this State, (b) to loiter about such school or college premises or © to act in an obnoxious manner thereon; or
(2) For any person to (a) enter upon any such school or college premises or (b) loiter around the premises, except on business, without the permission of the principal or president in charge.
(B) Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than ninety days. </p>

<p>© The summary courts are vested with jurisdiction to hear and dispose of cases involving a violation of this section. If the person is a child as defined by Section 63-19-20, jurisdiction must remain vested in the Family Court. "</p>

<p>It appears that 1a is vague enough to cover just about anything. </p>

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<p>Yes, this is where a good lawyer would come in - the statute is so vague, it possibly violates the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution, depending on what they’re charging him with. Especially since it did not involve a physical presence at the school or home - which is what it appears it was originally intended for. Threats are one thing, but there is no right not to be offended. Under that statute, writing a bad review of a teacher could constitute a “disturbance”.</p>

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<p>If you were my kid, I’d be contacting the local ACLU. I mean, I’d make you responsible for being a jerk, but the criminalization of jerkiness is a bit too far. </p>

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<p>It really depends on what we’re talking about here - writing Columbine-type fantasies would probably warrant what is happening, merely blowing off steam about jerky classmates is something else. OP is being very vague about what they did - so it’s difficult to judge.</p>

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<p>Wow, so many responses! I have already confessed to the crime, and when my mother asked the officer when I would be arrested he said “Well, it’s not really something that has to be done immediately.” </p>

<p>I would also like to point out that I never made a single threat to, or about, anyone. </p>

<p>And ( @MrMom62‌ ), you really DON’T know what I wrote, so it’s best if you don’t assume. :slight_smile: Imagine diary entries and posts that talk about a specific person, but the actual name was not used in it. I’m not asking for legal consultation, I’m asking how it will affect college.</p>

<p>I have already contacted the ACLU, but I have yet to hear back from them. </p>

<p>@neatoburrito‌ I told the officer that that law has a huge scope and it really describes the actions of all teenagers at some point in their life. The law says the person is guilty, regardless of if they did it on accident or on purpose. The officer agreed that it was “very vague” and has helped him in “a lot of situations before: fights, people screaming, and if someone were to get up on the table and walk down it then they could be charged with this”. </p>

<p>I also never mentioned teachers on any of the posts. </p>

<p>The suspension is already in place. The sardonic thing is how it fell right before Christmas break, so it practically extends the period. A lot of people are telling me to fight back, but I’m scared if I fight back that the school won’t be so lenient on me and will push for an expulsion. The admissions rep told me “even if you were to get expelled, you could still go to alternative school or online school”. He then told me not to open up a can of worms (tell the colleges I’ve been accepted to), unless if I have to. </p>

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<p>I am completely confused as to the “crime”. All I can gather is a blog about your life and another student and you use fictitious names.</p>

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<p>@gearmom The blog was about my life combined with things about people. There were about four students that were mentioned, but never in reference to their full name. The school got very mad because my link leaked out and a lot of kids were on their phones constantly, just waiting to see when I would post. They claim it disturbed school, and based of the “testimony of students who were scared to go to class” it was enough for probable cause. In reality, the school exaggerated a lot of details in order to get warrants to access information they couldn’t get on their own.</p>

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<p>@SomethingWithin Why would they be scared to go to class?</p>

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<p>For the people who are mentioning the first amendment and such, remember that high school students have limited first amendment rights—I am not a lawyer, but while Morse v. Frederick was a narrow ruling, it’s pretty clear to even those of us who aren’t JDs that it could have wider applications.</p>

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<p>@gearmom Apparently they feared ridicule from their peers and whatnot. It was really a HUGE overreaction from the school itself. People who weren’t even mentioned were trying to make the entire situation about themselves, and yet their testimony was used to obtain the search warrant. </p>

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<p>The mere fact that this involves law enforcement, possible criminal charges, and a search warrant tells me that one, we don’t have the whole story, and two, this is WAY beyond the scope of CC and OP needs a lawyer. The ACLU can come later, you need a lawyer now.</p>

<p>As for the 1st Amendment, I realize students have limited rights, especially at school or school sponsored events, however, they do not have no rights at all, especially when the activity in question was conducted completely separately from school. Assuming the speech in question did not involves threats to student safety and OP in no way promoted his posts at school, it seems pretty clear the school is really overreaching. But until you go through about four years of litigation, it’s a threat to OP’s college future as it currently stands.</p>

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<p>@MrMom62‌ I’ve literally told you all there is to tell. The search warrant was used for the blog’s website to obtain the IP address. </p>

<p>We’re already working on it, but we’re stuck as to whether we should fight the charge completely, or if I should take a guilty plead (which would allow the officer to recommend PTI and keep it off my record). </p>

<p>Everyone is telling me to contact a lawyer, but the thing is my family literally has no money. We’re on the bottom of the income bracket, so we really don’t have money to spend on a lawyer. I guess we plan to use the one provided to us. </p>

<p>The way I see it is me taking the plea, the school sees I cooperated and I don’t get the expulsion recommendation. Or, I don’t take the plead, I fight and I either win or lose, but the school does the expulsion recommendation because I chose to fight back. </p>

<p>I’m just scared because my teachers and friends are STEAMED at the school for what they’re trying to do to me. I never realize how many people actually care about me. They want to organize petitions and protest at the next school board meeting (the idea from a teacher I currently have who has been put down by the school repeatedly and wants to fight). </p>

<p>And while that all seems nice, I’m scared it’s going to enrage the school even more. </p>

<p>And with the use of a court appointed lawyer I can definitely see me losing the trial. Once I challenge the charge there’s no going back, the PTI offer will be off the table completely and I’ll just be hit with the charge. </p>

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<p>I think I should just end the discussion here. We shifted from the topic I was asking about. </p>

<p>Thank you to everyone who commented! </p>

<p>I’ll post back once everything is over, so you know how it ended.</p>