Prince George's County schools considers owning student and teachers' work

Prince George's County schools considers owning student and teachers' work

WASHINGTON - An eighth-grader's research paper, a kindergartner's drawing and a teacher's lesson plan would become the property of the Prince George's County Board of Education if a proposed copyright policy is approved.

The proposal says any work created for school or by using school materials would become property of the school board. Property includes staff work as well as student assignments completed inside and outside the classroom.

Lawrence Sung, an intellectual property rights lawyer and partner with BakerHostetler in D.C, says the legality of the proposal is questionable. He adds it's common for employers to own employee work, but in this case, students are not being paid for their work.

"We always worry about what the slippery slope can be," he says. "If there is no pushback for this at this point and time, you will never know where it will evolve."

http://www.wtop.com/58/3217208/Do-students-own-their-school-work