Minn. High Schoolers Suspended for Facebook Pics

Jan. 10, 2008 — -- More than a dozen Eden Prairie, Minn., high schoolers walked out of class to protest the school's punishment of students caught by administrators partying on Facebook pages.

The move came after 42 students at the well-regarded Minnesota public school were questioned by school administrators who viewed online photos of the young people drinking alcohol.

"Photos were presented to us of some of our students in possession of, or consuming, illegal substances," said Principal Conn McCartan in a written statement provided to ABCNEWS.com.

Thirteen of the 42 students involved in the investigation have since been punished, according to McCartan.

"All students who participate in school activities have to sign a liability brochure saying they understand the rules and will follow them," said Dave Stead, the executive director of the Minnesota State High School League, of which Eden Prairie High is a member. "Rules include not using, possessing, giving, buying alcohol or drugs. These students signed the pledge and then violated it — so appropriate penalties were given."

The majority of high schools in Minnesota collaborate to determine punishments for such incidents, Stead told ABCNEWS.com, and Eden Prairie has since abided by them.

For the first offense of breaking the pledge, students are suspended from two extracurricular events or are suspended for two weeks, whichever punishment is greater, Stead said. With each additional offense, the length of the suspension increases, rising to 28 days or 16 events.

"We hope that the punishments will be a deterrent, but also hope that the students will learn how important it is to sign contracts," said Stead, who added that this sort of incident has occurred at other schools in the state, but he thinks Eden Prairie's good reputation has likely added fuel to the fire. "They must learn there are some things you can and cannot do."

How, exactly, the school administrators obtained the photos is unclear — many students' profiles were "limited" and therefore could only be viewed by people they accepted as friends on Facebook.