ONE student has been suspended after about two dozen students joined a Facebook site created to ridicule a student at Chief Peguis Junior High.

River East Transcona School Division says school staff have been working all week with parents of the students involved.

The division will not reveal the length of the suspension, or release any other details about the incident, other than to say the Internet activity took place outside the school.

A Winnipeg mother said that a friend tipped her Grade 7 daughter Sunday to the existence of the Facebook site.

"They set up a site with my daughter’s picture, and bashed her back and forth," said the mother. "It’s like there’s almost no boundaries. She’s very upset."

The mother said her daughter had previously been involved in incidents with some girls in her class before the website was created, but said they were what she considered normal activities for girls of that age. "It’s a lot of girl issues, which the school is aware of –– one minute I’m your friend, the next minute I hate you."

A parent of one of the students took down the site Monday night, but not before school officials saw it, the mother said.

This is great, I only hope the parents of the child suspended aren’t putting up a fight....they are more at fault if they do. Hopefully they will teach their child why this has happened! – Jillian

It is totally fair to suspend this kid even though it did not happen at school. This is not an isolated incident and is just another chapter in the life of the bullying this girl has to endure from these kids in school, as well as ,out of school. This kind of crap has to be stopped and the kingpin of the pack has to be made the example of what will happen when they cross the line!

Wow! Am I starting to sound like my mother, or what? Getting old sucks! Diane.

We’re driving to school and I ask my 10 year old what he thinks... He agrees with the suspension and I ask him why, what does school have to do with it..he says they did it outside of school on purpose thinking they’d get away with it. Tammy.

Hi Ace,
Not fair, but well deserved. Perhaps the parents should take some responsibility. Maybe pay attention to what their child is broadcasting over the net.

Kind regards, Kirsten

Ace – Concerning this whole facebook suspension thing, i think it is fair that the school suspended these kids if it was discovered that this was just another branch of bullying that was a continuation of bullying that happened during school. Bullying is a very serious problem in our school systems, and needs to be strongly discouraged. Kids should be themselves and be what they are , which are kids. But a question, where are the parents in this? I hope that on top of the suspension, the parents are expressing their own disiplinary measures and making their children known that that behavior is NOT o.k. Kendra

Hi Ace,

I would like to know where the parents are in all this. My kids have facebook but I have all passwords and complete access to monitor what they are doing. How do these parents not know what they are doing and why are they not dealing with their kids bullying. I think it’s good that the schools get involved. My kid gets bullied and most of the parents don’t care what there kids are doing. If it wasn’t for the school helping her it would be worse. Thanks... Andrea

A LAWYER? If the bully gets a lawyer, so should the victim, that bully should be sued for defamation.

If the school didn’t intervene, who would? There IS no "kid police"!!! I say suspend them all. A message needs to be sent. Of course the school is involved – the involved parties are students.

Who cares if it’s outside of school?! If kids vandalize a teacher’s school on the weekend should the school ignore it?

People can be fired from jobs for things they do outside of work so what’s the difference?

The parents of the bully should be ASHAMED, not angry at the school.

Stacey (a high school teacher)

Yo Ace!
I gave’r all the way home hoping I could make the end of the set you guys had regarding the facebook/school incident but I obviously didn’t make it.

I’m going to start off with saying that I’ve been one of those immature people who did something online like what the free press has published. Of course on a different level and it was many years ago when the internet was first getting big, when there was no infamous facebook.

But I can honestly say that I’m some what let down in the lack of calls coming in disagreeing with the school’s punishment call. As such a diverse and free nation we all have the right to speak freely (within the bounds of the law) and for the school to have effect on punishment removes the accused right to voice their opinion and speak freely. It’s the simple rule that makes our nation as great as it is, and a founding fundamental of the way our society works.

Do I agree that the accused should be punished? Yes, defiantly! However I’m just not sure it’s the school’s place. They can be "kiddie cops" but to become "cyber patrol" is a different story and an entire different topic all together! Freedom of speech is a canadian right, and schools have no more right then you or I to take that away from anyone else. I’m already pretty sure school’s don’t allow users to access facebook, why should they have any regulatory effect or right to prosecute kids who use it?

As Canadians you should use the right to speak out and pressure your government to change things like this. I think it’s not so much angry parents job’s to call in and trip out their opinions, but for the courts to decide... Sooner or later it’s going to have to happen either way as it is.

And as parents, well you’re just doing a poor job of regulating your child’s time online if your kids were involved. Later, Jordan.