Southbridge Student Expelled For Cyber Bullying English Teacher

SOUTHBRIDGE (CBS) - A student has been expelled for cyber bullying his teacher. He admits he tried to play a prank but says he's not responsible for everything that followed.

The student, 18-year-old Chris Latour, understands he was wrong and deserves to be punished.

"I made the mistake of posting the code, but it wasn't close to my intention to have what happened, happen," he says.

The incident began in September when the Southbridge High School senior went on a popular Internet message board, and posted the password that gave anyone access to the web portal run by his English teacher.

"It was supposed to be a senior prank where kids would go in and post funny photos," says Latour.

People didn't just use the information to post funny photos however. They instead lashed out against the female teacher with a barrage of vulgar, sexually derisive insults, sending the newlywed to psychological counseling.

"I told them I was the one who posted the code, I took complete blame for that," says Latour. "But I didn't take the blame for anything that they posted, because I didn't post anything."

Police traced the comments to mostly overseas IP addresses and none to Chris. But because he provided the password, he was held accountable for the cyber bullying of his English teacher. He was given a 10 day suspension, and then last week, he was expelled.

He says, "I did my 10-day suspension I think that was fair because I made the mistake, but the whole expulsion thing is just taken it out of proportion."

"They took everything, everything away from him," says his grandmother Vivian. "He can't go to college, he don't have a scholarship no more."

Chris had an 87 average in the class and says he apologized to the teacher. His effort was not well received.

"I'd like to go back to school," says Chris. "I'd like to get my diploma and go to Westfield State like I'd planned on but I don't see that happening."

The superintendent, principal and police all declined to discuss the incident.