Why We're Screwed, Part XVII

Two of Miguel's posts today nicely encapsulate the bind. In one post he says:

Skype is blocked in my district. I am often told that it's because it has an uncontrolled chat features. I've decided that such an assertion, while sounding good and rational, is so much baloney.

In another he discusses an inappropriate schoolyard comment in litigious terms:

"Does that seem appropriate to you, to use that term during school? Harassment is determined by how the person who is offended perceives it. If that term had been used in a work setting, there would be serious consequences. How about some diversity or multiculturalism instruction that is respecting of different ethnic groups?"

So, tomorrow, my wife and I are meeting with the headmaster. When we shared this story with another parent in the class--an American of African-American descent--she stated that was a big "no no" and that wouldn't be tolerated if similar terms had been used to describe him. When we shared the story with another Hispanic parent--whose husband is a police officer--she stated that she had encountered the same kind of problem with her son. She stated that we should file a police report.

Regardless of whether or not Miguel is right or wrong in one or both of these cases, they contradict each other. The ostensible legal reason schools need to block Skype is because they might need to produce chat transcripts as part of a civil suit over something like, say, harassment. One can argue that we should just become less litigious, but realistically, that ain't going to happen.