Brooklyn High School Fines Students $100 For Using Facebook, Threatens Expulsion If They Don't Stop

Controversy ensued after the Beis Rivkah all-girl high school in Brooklyn, N.Y., pulled from class every 11th grade student who used Facebook and handed them a written ultimatum: delete their accounts from the social networking site and pay $100 to the school, or be expelled, community website CrownHeights.info reports.

A school official, who wished to remain anonymous, says that the Facebook crackdown was to restore a level of Tznius -- the Jewish Orthodox code of modesty -- which they claim was on the decline because girls were using the site.

Jewish newspaper the Algemeiner spoke to several students about the incident, all of whom requested to remain anonymous, saying the school felt Facebook wasn't compatible with their moral code.

“People on the board said it’s not proper for us to have Facebook because girls might be talking to boys on Facebook or they might be putting up immodest pictures,” an unnamed student told the paper.

Shaindel Teichtel, the school's principal, told the Algemeiner that the Facebook policy isn't new.

“There is nothing new about Beth Rivkah’s Facebook policy, which is over two years old," Teichtel told the paper. "In keeping with the highest quality standards of educating our students, within the context of a pure and sacred Torah (Jewish law) environment."

The Crown Heights community website reported, however, that students were encouraged to create Facebook profiles last year to vote for the school in a Kohl’s charity giveaway -- an accusation Teichtel told the Algemeiner is "patently incorrect and hurtful."

Earlier this month, WDAY-TV and CNN reported that the American Civil Liberties Union was getting involved after a 12-year-old was allegedly forced to hand over her Facebook password when school officials claimed she was having "online conversations about sex with another student."

Despite the ACLU's claims that the school violated the girl's First Amendment rights, school officials said they believe they acted responsibly.

Comments

[roy brophy]

06:27 AM on 05/20/2012

Gotta keep those kid's brains in a box. It's the way all religious cults act.

[bart4u]

09:14 AM on 04/02/2012

Let the girls be barefoot too and walk behind the men and also the men must eat first and the woman must shave her hair and make dinner and clean and have sex covered in a sheet. What is with these kind of people and religions. I am Jewish and think this school is nuts and does not belong in our society. Treating woman like this is so wrong. They are teaching woman to be slaves to the men.

[GlennWatson]

11:28 AM on 04/01/2012

Its a private school right?

[Rachel Levin]

12:19 AM on 04/12/2012

Yes it is

[butchcliff]

07:28 AM on 04/01/2012

Oppression. The school world has certainly moved on since my days. Schools always trying to dictate students' lives. Remember when you weren't allowed to even wear blue jeans.

[notateapartierofcourse]

04:25 PM on 03/30/2012

I'M JEWISH AND HAVE DONE PLENTY OF THINGS THAT JEWS WOULDN'T LIKE, AND I HAVEN'T BEEN SMITTEN OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. RELIGION CAN BE EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE.

[Goldzilla]

11:09 PM on 03/30/2012

Yeah we get it...quit yellin' man.

[Stacy M]

10:16 AM on 03/30/2012

Religion is the opium of the people.

[Vishiia]

01:02 AM on 03/30/2012

I don't have a facebook account and wouldn't make one if you paid me. however, as long as they aren't on the site during school hours, it's none of their business what those kids do in their spare time. That would be like my boss telling me I can't watch TV in the evening or I'd be fired and they'd withhold my pay.

As much as I hate facebook, I hate people violating my privacy and rights even more.

[Joe The Nerd Ferraro]

04:53 PM on 03/29/2012

I hope all the girls put a prefix of O' or Mac or Mc or D' in front of the fake surnames of the socks they will be setting up in response to this.

[rikster]

04:50 PM on 03/29/2012

psst....change your name....

[Poison Snake]

01:55 PM on 03/29/2012

All these people whining and complaining about Facebook and children spending too much time socializing online in the comments...

IN THE COMMENTS... of an online article. Wow. Hypocritical much? LOL

[MIKEinNYC]

10:07 AM on 03/29/2012

Schools, baseball teams, businesses and other entities have a right to insist on modes of decorum.

[fifiwereking]

02:15 PM on 03/29/2012

yes - during any school-related activity

[booshh]

11:02 PM on 03/31/2012

At all times, in all places, for all activity? Really?

[leostaar]

09:32 AM on 03/29/2012

I do not agree with the $100. fine or the delet the account bit but I have younger family members on fb and even I question "where is the parent" when I read or seen things posted that are age inaproporiate...."putting up immodest pictures,” is a rampant fb problem with the underage set. and some of them have over 500 friends that do not make their pages, posts or comments private! This school is in the right by stepping in not only for their reputation and religious belieft but for the childres well being.... and for the parents who are not in the know of their teenages lives.( beacuse ALLLLL teens are sooooooo honest with their parents .... RIGHT).... If more schools cared this much the world might be a slightly better place... Schools are looked upon as places that Babysit a kid while parents work.. people (even Facituly) forget that schools are not giant daycare facilities, they are places where children are suppose to be taught, encuraged, observed and helped!. School is the 8 hour a day building block for the structure of a childs whole life! Good on them for making a stand!

[goldie135]

09:20 AM on 03/29/2012

I find this really funny, seeing as I am one of the students who have been "busted". I'm not in 11th grade, though. I'm a freshie. My picture is not me, and my name is not mine, so they must have done some heavy-duty digging.
I'm so happy we made national news. I hope the school officials have fun dealing with what they brought unto themselves. National news. Haha. Payback, baby. Payback.

[scythus]

09:30 AM on 03/29/2012

Careful what you write in your diary they may want to see that next.....,.

[curbside]

12:59 PM on 03/29/2012

No one can chain your thoughts!

[goldie135]

03:10 PM on 03/29/2012

It's called indoctrination- and it's happening.

[dlp7202]

09:20 AM on 03/29/2012

I don't agree with the reasons given, and the religion behind this decision.

That said, it is good advice to get off Facebook

[John Cotton]

08:15 AM on 03/29/2012

Oh those wacky N..zis. woops, I mean umm. Haha