Nineteen students at a Catholic high school northwest of Toronto have been suspended over what officials call the "cyber-bullying" of a principal.
Students at Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School in Caledon East started to complain about their principal, Edward McMahon, on the popular networking website Facebook.com, calling him a "Grinch of School Spirit."
The students blamed the principal for a recent ban on personal electronic devices, such as cellphones and iPods. The restriction is part of a board-wide policy.
A school board spokesperson said the posted comments then became vulgar and derogatory. Bruce Campbell, a Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board spokesperson, said many of the comments were profane.
"Most are sexually explicit, they're derogatory, they're mean, demeaning -- they're an attack on character," he said.
One crude comment directed at the principal read: "I have a few words for the big man: get on your knees, open your mouth and suck it."
As a result, the students -- including a student council member and a top school athlete -- were suspended last week for up to eight days.
Kevin Sultana, the suspended class president, told CTV News he thinks officials went too far.
"It was intimidating, because you had the entire school administration, staff and a police officer present," Sultana said.
Some students complained their comments were harmless and they should not have been suspended.
"The only mistake that I made was that I added a bad word into (the comment), and I guess I personally hurt him," one student said.
One student told the Toronto Star she was suspended after responding to a posting made by a male student who mentioned inciting a riot to fight the ban on electronic devices. She said she was opposed to the riot but supported lifting the ban.
Sultana argued that the school may have exceeded its bounds by suspending the students, because the comments were written away from school property.
"Where does the school's jurisdiction end? Why is it right for them to come into my home for something I do in my house and suspend me from an education?" he asked.
Some parents were initially concerned the board's action was a little heavy, but Campbell said after they reviewed the posted material, they withdrew their complaints.
Cathy Wing of the Media Awareness Network said online bullying and intimidation is a growing issue, but officials are unsure how to tackle the problem.
"This is a really challenging thing," she said. "Most of these activities are happening off school property, but they are impacting a great deal in the class room."
With a report by CTV's Scott Laurie in Caledon
