( CNN ) -- Pennsylvania parents are suing their son 's school , alleging it watched him through his laptop 's webcam while he was at home and unaware he was being observed . Michael and Holly Robbins of Penn Valley are suing the Lower Merion School District , its board of directors and the superintendent . The parents allege the district unlawfully used its ability to access a webcam remotely on their son 's district-issued laptop computer . The lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania . The suit said that on November 11 , an assistant principal at Harriton High School told the plaintiffs ' son that he was caught engaging in `` improper behavior '' in his home and it was captured in an image via the webcam . According to the Robbinses ' complaint , neither they nor their son , Blake , were informed of the school 's ability to access the webcam remotely at any time . It is unclear what the boy was doing in his room when the webcam was activated or if any punishment was given out . Doug Young , a spokesman for the Lower Merion School District , said the district would only remotely access a laptop if it were reported to be lost , stolen or missing . Young said if there were such a report , the district first would have to request access from its technology and security department and receive authorization . Then it would use the built-in security feature to take over the laptop and see whatever was in the webcam 's field of vision , potentially allowing it to track down the missing computer . Young said parents and students were not explicitly told about this built-in security feature . To receive the laptop , the family had to sign an `` acceptable-use '' agreement . To take the laptop home , the family also would have to buy insurance for the computer . In an `` acceptable-use '' agreement , the families are made aware of the school 's ability to `` monitor '' the hardware , he said , but it stops short of explicitly explaining the security feature . He termed that a mistake . Young added that mistakes might be made when combining technology and education in a cutting-edge way . All 2,300 students at the district 's two high schools were offered laptops to `` enhance opportunities for ongoing collaboration and ensure that all students have 24/7 access to school-based resources , '' according to a message on the superintendent 's Web site , which the suit quoted . Young said the district is proud of the laptop program and the ability to close the technology gap between students who have computers at home and those who do n't . But he acknowledged schools will have to take a step back to re-evaluate the policies and procedures surrounding the program . The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is n't involved in the litigation , but its director , Vic Walczak , criticized the school district 's action . `` Neither police nor school officials can enter a private home , physically or electronically , without an invitation or a warrant . The school district 's clandestine electronic eavesdropping violates constitutional privacy rights , intrudes on parents ' right to raise their children and may even be criminal under state and federal wiretapping laws , '' Walczak said `` ... George Orwell 's '1984 ' is an overused metaphor , but it applies here in spades . Part of the school officials ' punishment should be to retake ninth-grade civics class . '' Kevin Bankston , a senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation who specializes in electronic privacy , also said the school may have broken federal wire-tapping laws . He called the school district 's action `` foolish and dangerous , '' saying the matter could prove to be a warning to other districts . Multiple requests for further comment from the Robbinses ' attorney , Mark Haltzman of Lamm Rubenstone LLC , went unanswered .
Pennsylvania parents sue school district , school chief , board over son 's laptop . Lawsuit : district unlawfully used its computers to access a laptop remotely . Suit : Son accused of engaging in ` ` improper behavior '' at home that school - issued cameras captured . District spokesman : Son only remotely accesses webcam if laptop reported stolen , lost .