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Please, hold all my calls

BoardBuzz was feeling the pain this morning for Fairfax County (Va.) when we saw this item on Good Morning America. It seems last week's inclement weather in Virginia has touched off more than a flurry (pun completely intended) of discussion. The Washington Post carried the story today as well. Here's what happened: It seems that a disgruntled student, unable to reach a school administrator at work, called him at home to complain about the lack of a snow day. But wait, the plot thickens.

On his lunch break, Lake Braddock senior Devraj "Dave" S. Kori, 17, used a listed home phone number to call Dean Tistadt, chief operating officer for the county system, to ask why he had not closed the schools. Kori left his name and phone number and got a message later in the day from Tistadt's wife. "How dare you call us at home! If you have a problem with going to school, you do not call somebody's house and complain about it," Candy Tistadt's minute-long message began. At one point, she uttered the phrase "snotty-nosed little brats," and near the end, she said, "Get over it, kid, and go to school!" Not so long ago, that might have been the end of it -- a few choice words by an agitated administrator (or spouse). But with the frenetic pace of students' online networking, it's harder for grown-ups to have the last word. Kori's call and Tistadt's response sparked online debate among area students about whether the student's actions constituted harassment and whether the response was warranted. Kori took Tistadt's message, left on his cellphone, and posted an audio link on a Facebook page he had created after he got home from school called "Let them know what you think about schools not being cancelled." The Web page listed Dean Tistadt's work and home numbers.

Now, the Tistadts have made national news and have received dozens of calls, presumably from students. What's an administrator to do? BoardBuzz, having once been students, can understand that there's nothing better than a snow day. But we also get that every time a flake falls, schools can't be closed. And with today's students more connected than ever, through cell phones, the internet, social networking, and other technologies, word can spread faster than a blizzard (another pun intended). BoardBuzz does note that Dean Tistadt recognizes the ingenuity of the student, "Candy Tistadt did not return phone messages, but Dean Tistadt credited Kori for having the 'courage of his convictions to stand up and be identified.' He also credited him for causing the high volume of crank calls, not to mention considerable grief and embarrassment for his wife. 'This has been horrible for her,' he said, adding that he and his wife both learned a hard lesson about the long reach of the Internet." What's the solution to helping encourage connected kids to use their powers for the greater good, rather than the greater annoyance? Does your school district have any sort of policy for dealing with situations like this? Leave us a comment and tell us about it.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on January 23, 2008 (boomark / email).