Spy School: Ryan John

If I were a parent, and my teenage son or daughter was given a computer from school, the first thing I would ask is, what happens if it's lost or stolen.  Who is responsible in this very likely occurrence?   That would illicit a response for the school explaining that ideally neither the school nor the parents would incur any financial obligation because of a web camera device built into the laptop in case of the event.  So, I'm very curious as to why this conversation wasn't had in one way or another before the students first took possession.
 
Even if the principle did honestly think Blake Robbins' Mike and Ike's were actually pills and the student was engaging in inappropriate drug related behavior, why was he so oblivious to the students rights regarding privacy? The web cam feature and random activation ability should have been clearly stated in the disclosure the parents signed prior to assignment.  Furthermore, I can't think of another disclosure more important than that one.  It serves as both a warning and consolation.  A warning which will discourage would be thievery, as well as the consolation to students and parents that lost laptops will hopefully be found.  It has proven to be a successfully implemented lost prevention measure, so I can't imagine its usage wasn't foreseen when school officials trust 2,300 students with these expensive devices. 
 
 
So, If the web cam feature is only supposed to be used to for recovery, when an accidental activation produces false suspicion, it is totally ignorable.  I sympathize with the vice principal's decision if he genuinely thought they were drugs and intervention for the boy was needed.  But assuming he had good intentions, he should have just kept a watchful eye on the student while advising teachers to the same without any word of the web cam findings.   Although I think it was an innocent addition to the computers, I do feel like the school district should have warned parents of it's capabilities.