A professor at Texas A&M International in Laredo, Texas has gotten into some serious hot water for creative use of his blog. After discovering that six of his students had cheated on an essay by plagiarizing some of their work, he posted their names on his blog. Ouch!
The professor defended his action by noting that his syllabus expressly warned students that he would “promptly and publicly fail and humiliate anyone caught lying, cheating or stealing.” And, he did. Unfortunately for him, despite the advance notice to students, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act prohibits the release of students' educational records (note that the professor disputes whether his actions were contrary to FERPA). The professor was fired.
If anything, this development is a positive step for employers’ rights. Employees do not have the right to post company information at will.
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