Obviously, this was a big internet hoax by some students over at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania. The reasoning for detention seemed too dumb (hint: using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer in class) to be coming from a teacher in 11th grade to be true. Luckily, Patricia Bealmear, the villian in the faked detention card (A4 sheet in this case) put on her macho-mullet and got out on Digg to quell the internet Quarterbacks out there who were launching hate emails at her.
Click here for an image of the fake detention card posting along with the article on Digg.
And now for the new posting at Digg stating it was a hoax. Here’s the proof that the detention card was fake. All in under 24 HOURS! They could make a show out of it and star Keifer Sutherland and call it “24” and oh and have it broadcasted on Fox because the whole issue came from using Firefox or “Foxfire.exe” as mentioned in that fake letter. And Jack Bauer sounds like the perfect name for the main character for that show too. Somehow I have the sinking feeling that someone’s already come up with that idea. Hate it when that happens.
Provided below, if the link on the school district’s website goes inactive:
Response to Internet Hoax
December 17, 2007
Recently, a file was uploaded to the Internet purporting to be a copy of a letter from Big Spring High School to a student regarding a two hour detention. The uploaded letter was an altered version of a detention letter sent to a student. Unfortunately, privacy concerns prevent the School District from giving a full explanation of the nature and source of the letter’s alteration at this time. The Big Spring School District does have confirmation that the discipline letter was altered.
The reports, blogs and other sources on the Internet indicating that a Big Spring student was assigned detention for using the Firefox internet browser instead of Internet Explorer are untrue and were based on the fake letter. Detention is assigned in our schools after appropriate warnings are given. If students continue to engage in non-academic activities or fail to follow a teacher’s directive during class time, discipline can and will be assigned.
Sincerely yours,
John C. Scudder
High School Principal
pbealmear@bigspring.k12.pa.us
if you want to complain to the teacher then here ya go!
Ok, get the info straight, it was not a fake, it was a slightly altered copy that was only posted to make fun of the “Foxfire.exe” part because the teacher acted on impulse and made a bad decision (giving the detention and saying ‘foxfire’, lol). Now my friend is the one being punished and he did nothing wrong. False acusations will get no one anywhere, so the A4 was only altered (thus the blacking out of the names) not faked, to prove it the principal came back and said “If students continue to engage in non-academic activities or fail to follow a teacher’s directive during class time, discipline can and will be assigned.” He did no such thing, he only used “FOXFIRE.EXE” (Mozilla Firefox)
So wait. The kid was sent to detention for using Firefox? OMG lol. Pennsylvania has gotta be one of the most backward states if that’s how an 11th grade teacher would react.
Either ways dude, it’s silly but thanks for clearing up the air!
[...] to school in Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania. If all that was altered was “Firefox.exe” changed to “Foxfire.exe”, that has gotta be either a Gestapo gussied up as a [...]