Austin Carroll, a student at Garrett High School and resident of Indiana, was expelled from school last week after he posted offensive language on his personal Twitter account.

If my account is on my own personal account, I don't think the school or anybody should be looking at it, said Carroll according to Indiana News Center. Because it's my own personal stuff and it's none of their business.

The school, however, claims it was justified in removed Carroll from school because they believe he used a school computer to access his account. Carroll maintains he Tweeted from home.

I totally didn't agree with what Austin said but I didn't agree with an expulsion either,said Pam Smith, Austin's mother, according to Indiana News Center. I mean if they suspended him for 3 days or something, I would be fine with that but to kick him out of school, his senior year, 3 months to go, wrong.

Carroll also mentioned that the tweet was not an attack on the administration or on any personal in particular. It was definitely not a case of cyber-bullying.

One of my tweets was, BEEP is one of those BEEP words you can BEEP put anywhere in a BEEP sentence and it still BEEP make sense, he said.

The principal of Garret High school said their system tracks all tweets when someone accesses Twitter using a student log on. However, Carroll and his mother both claim the tweets were sent out approximately 2:30 a.m.

I didn't post the thing at school but their computer is saying that I did post it, and I shouldn't be getting in trouble for stuff I did on my own time, on my own computer, said Carroll.

Hearing word of the expulsion, students at Garrett High School threatened to protest until police were called. Smith is angry with the school's decision, saying he is being targeted after earlier run-ins with the administration.

They need to go on every student and staff member's computer and review them, Smith said. They'll find plenty of stuff.

TechDirt points out that the ruling from Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District allows student to express their First Amendment rights inside public school. They are not subject to repression during school hours. However, limited free speech can apply at school-sponsored events or when the student is discussing sexual innuendos or illegal drugs.

Austin said he is now being forced to attend an alternate school, where he will graduate from, but he will miss Garrett High School Functions for the rest of the year.

I just want to be able to go back to regular school, go to prom and go to everything that a regular senior would get to do in their senior year, said Carroll.

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