Students who swear at school fined $103

December 13, 2005 - Students in Hartford, Conn., have to pay $103 fines for uttering profanity on school premises.

Administrators there call the new plan a last-ditch effort to create a learning space free from the linguistic irreverence so commonplace in society today.

But the move raises questions about what exactly is a swear word, and whether it is fair to punish students who simply mimic the phrases they hear from their favorite sitcom stars, their parents, and sometimes, even their teachers.

The words themselves are copious. In a survey conducted for American Demographics in 2003, more than 60 percent of Americans said they swear in public. According to a Florida State University study last year, incidents of profanity increased by 58 percent from 1997 to 2001 during television's primetime "family hour," 8-9 p.m.

Hartford administrators say the threat of fines has already made hallway conversation less vulgar.