In recent weeks, a great deal of media attention has been paid to the case of the student teacher who was denied a teaching degree the day before her graduation because of an alleged ethical breach. Twenty-seven year old Stacy Snyder, an undergraduate at Millersville University, was denied a teaching degree, despite having completed all of her required course work. What had Ms. Snyder done to prompt this action by the university? Had she been inappropriate with a student? Had she been insubordinate with a supervisor? Had she embezzled school funds? No. Ms. Snyder posted a photo of herself on her MySpace page, a photo from a 2005 Halloween party in which she was wearing a pirate hat and holding a plastic cup. Beneath the photo was the caption “Drunken Pirate.”

As is typical of most students pursuing teaching degrees, Ms. Snyder was required to serve as a student teacher in order to earn her degree. In 2006, she was assigned to Conestoga Valley High School for that purpose. During the time she was working as a student teacher, Ms. Snyder posted the photo and caption described above to her MySpace page. Someone from Conestoga Valley saw the photo and brought it to the attention of Conestoga Valley officials, who took action.

Although there was no dispute that the photo was posted on Ms. Snyder’s MySpace page, a personal website, and no school computer resources were used, Conestoga Valley officials declared Ms. Snyder’s photo “unprofessional.”