Woodbury High students penalized for Facebook pictures

(AP) - Four Woodbury Senior High School students have been disciplined after administrators learned of pictures posted on the popular social networking site Facebook that showed them drinking, school officials said.

WCCO-TV reported Monday that a senior at Woodbury High School gave a presentation with the photos in class last Friday, and they came to the attention of teachers, administrators - and students.

"He had a presentation in health on teenage drinking, I think, and he went on Facebook and took a lot of pictures of people in our school. Of like, pictures of them drinking at parties and stuff, and he put them on a slideshow," junior Josh Richter told the station.

Administrators spoke with the 12 students who were pictured. Four of them received some kind of consequence but the district wouldn't give specifics.

It was the second time this month that a Minnesota school disciplined students after administrators learned of pictures posted on Facebook that appeared to show students drinking alcohol.

Eden Prairie High School disciplined 13 of its students earlier this month.

In both cases, school officials didn't say how they penalized the students. But students who participate in sports or certain other activities governed by the Minnesota State High School League must agree in writing not to use alcohol, tobacco or controlled substances, even over the summer. Penalties start at two-game suspensions for the first violation.

"It's kind of like invading privacy even though it's on a public Internet site," Richter said.

But in a letter sent to parents Monday, Woodbury Principal Linda Plante explained that "because the photos were brought into our building, it is our obligation to address any violations of school rules they might depict."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)