Benjamin Herold has a great piece on EdWeek about two teens in Michigan who have been charged criminally with hacking. It is a case that Doug Levin previously brought to the public’s attention in the context of a question as to whether schools are failing to deal effectively with young curious minds. This particular case is a great example of schools neither failing to prevent repeated hacking nor knowing how to encourage young hackers in constructive ways. As a result, two talented young boys’ lives may be ruined before they ever get started. Benjamin’s article begins:
The hack started small, in 7th grade, when they bypassed their middle school’s internet filters to watch YouTube during lunch.
But by the time Jeremy Currier and Seth Stephens were caught, more than two years later, their exploits had given them extraordinary reign over the computer network of the Rochester Community Schools, a well-to-do suburban district about 45 minutes outside Detroit.
I would encourage you to read the entire piece (free registration required).