Teacher confiscates Linux CDs, claims no software is free

[IH8U]

This seems a little out of line. If I was the student's parents I would be very upset and putting that teacher in her place.

http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2008/12/linux-stop-holding-our-kids-back.html

[Black Viper]

If I was the student's parents I would be very upset and putting that teacher in her place.

Hopefully, the parents are a bit more "current" and bought him the blank CD's to burn Linux on and are well aware of their rights.

[Spawn]

The teacher doesn't have a legal leg to stand on.  Period.

Spawn

[Pops]

Spawn, I disagree.  We really don't know enough about the situation.
We don't know what are the legal rights at this particular school.
We don't know what agreements parents have with the school.
Having been in and have had my children in schools in 3 continents,
I've found that rights vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Some schools are very strict, some very lax.
I've worked where I was not allowed to bring cds, dvds, mem sticks, and the like
to the work place.  I've seen such items being taken from their owners
on threat of losing their jobs.  Perfectly legal there, since it was their work agreement.
Maybe not legal somewhere else.
Period.

[trashy]

Pops,

No offense, but did you read the blog that was linked?  Obviously the teacher that wrote the email did not know what exactly she was talking about.  From the article:

No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful. These children look up to adults for guidance and discipline.

This is false period.  Linux is Open Source and free to copy and distribute.

I along with many others tried Linux during college and I assure you, the claims you make are grossly over-stated and hinge on falsehoods.

I'm not sure of what "claims" were made, but Linux IS an alternative to Windows, and has software available to accomplish most any task.

This is a world where Windows runs on virtually every computer and putting on a carnival show for an operating system is not helping these children at all.

Again, false.  While Windows is the more common operating system, many people run Macs as well as Linux.  The "carnival show" is probably more educational than letting the children run an older version of Windows.

[Spawn]

Spawn, I disagree.  We really don't know enough about the situation.
We don't know what are the legal rights at this particular school.
We don't know what agreements parents have with the school.
Having been in and have had my children in schools in 3 continents,
I've found that rights vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Some schools are very strict, some very lax.
I've worked where I was not allowed to bring cds, dvds, mem sticks, and the like
to the work place.  I've seen such items being taken from their owners
on threat of losing their jobs.  Perfectly legal there, since it was their work agreement.
Maybe not legal somewhere else.
Period.

With all due respect...well, you're wrong.  You're speaking in generalities, this instance is fairly specific.  Did you even read the article?  Judging by your response, it would appear that you didn't.

I was a criminal attorney for years, and now I am a college professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice.  I know what I am talking about.  Based on this situation listed in the article, the teacher does not have any legal ground to stand on.  Period.

In fact she sounds as though she has no business teaching computer knowledge to students when she makes such obtuse claims about software and OS's which are absolutely false. 

This also has nothing to do with the school and their rules.  Again, did you even read the article?  This is about the teacher making false claims, and attempting to make the bloggers site appear to be illegal.

Spawn

*grammar

[Black Viper]

I've worked where I was not allowed to bring cds, dvds, mem sticks, and the like
to the work place.  I've seen such items being taken from their owners
on threat of losing their jobs.

I also have had a job of this type, but I worked in a secure environment as a contractor for the US government. As such, ANY media was not authorized unless it had security classification labels on it. No cel phones, no CD's, no thumb drives, no smart watches and no transfer of classified data to any unauthorized media. This was not "a threat to lose your job..." it was a threat of going to jail.

This instance was not a "ya cannot do that here" instance... it was taken away due to the ignorance of the teacher and claiming that "no software is free...", not breaking policy that "no CDs" are allowed in school.

And as quoted in the article:

At this point, I am not sure what you are doing is legal.

Meaning, they openly admit they are/were unsure of the law.

[IH8U]

Here's a follow up to that story http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2008/12/character-assasinations-aint-us.html

[Black Viper]

Great followup. Kudo's to the writer.

[trashy]

The writer of the blog showed some real class regarding the whole situation.  I can somewhat understand the teacher's actions, though you would think that she would have investigated a bit more before writing the email.  After all, an adult giving disks to children and having a bunch of young boys circled around a computer laughing... yes it would look suspicious.

On a side note... I currently work in a similar job BV.  I am a contractor for the US Government myself, and must follow the same rules that you described.  I am currently in Oak Harbor, Wa. working on a project at Whidbey Island NAS.

[Spawn]

Sounds like a solid guy.  Most people in today's media frenzy environment would have given out her real name at the very least.  Glad this chap has some class.  It is also nice to know the teacher seems to have accepted her ignorance on the issues and is seeking to overcome them.  It is far better to be ignorant than to be stupid.

Spawn

[Black Viper]

It is far better to be ignorant than to be stupid.

I agree.