A teenager has won a settlement after her school took her Facebook password without her permission to look into postings she made outside of school grounds.
 
The Minnesota school district paid out $70,000 to settle the lawsuit that claimed school officials violated the student's constitutional rights by viewing her Facebook and email accounts without her permission.
 
The lawsuit, filed in 2012 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, alleged that student Riley Stratton, was given detention after posting disparaging comments about a teacher's aide on her Facebook page, even though she was at home and not using school computers.
 
The ACLU also said administrators viewed her online conversations with a school friend and a boy because of a complaint the two were using computers to talk about sex. 
 
After a parent complained about the Facebook chat, the school called her in and demanded her password. With a sheriff deputy looking on, the student handed over her password and school officials browsed her Facebook page in front of her, according to the report. 
 
Minnewaska Superintendent Greg Schmidt said the district did not have a consent form signed by the parents to look at the girl’s Facebook page. This is now a policy requirement, he said. 
 
The lawsuit said the student fell behind on schoolwork because she was too upset and embarrassed to go to school.
 
It sought unspecified damages and an order that would stop school officials from attempts to regulate or discipline students based on speech made outside of school hours and off school property.
 
Riley's mother, Sandra Stratton, told newspaper she wasn't informed or invited to sit in when officials “interrogated” her daughter.
 
Wallace Hilke, an ACLU attorney who helped lead Riley's case said the use of social media is not the school's business unless it involves cyberbullying or poses a substantial threat to school activities.
 
"They punished her for doing exactly what kids have done for 100 years -- complaining to her friends about teachers and administrators," the attorney said.  
 
Riley said she is happy the case is over and that the school has changed its rules.
 
Superintendent Schmidt said the fact that the posting occurred at home was a factor in settling the case.
 
The $70,000 settlement will be divided between the Strattons, for damages, and the ACLU of Minnesota.
 

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