- Clients often wonder whether a school can punish a child for doing something off campus. The answer is “sometimes”, depending on the circumstances.
- If the child’s conduct off campus results in a significant disruption back at the school, then yes, the school can legally discipline.
- For instance, if a child posts negative or derogatory comments on their private Facebook page about the school principal, that, all by itself, cannot be punished just because it offends the principal.
- However, if those Facebook comments result in lots of students and teachers calling or petitioning the school because they believe those comments, now there may be enough of a school disruption to discipline the child.