That doesn't make them the authoritarian. By the way they are talking they obviously weren't writing ransom notes and holding the school hostage, they were poki

That doesn't make them the authoritarian. By the way they are talking they obviously weren't writing ransom notes and holding the school hostage, they were poking around and exploring. While I can't say for sure, they likely just left a note saying "hey you should probably fix this" and the administration lost their shit. Also a teaching moment surely isn't a suspension. That's how you burn any bridges towards getting the kid to learn. You said that in the real world you can't trample others' rights, well sure but it's kind of the point that high school isn't the real world. A teaching moment would be sitting someone down, getting them to admit/explain what they did, telling them that in the real world they would get in trouble, and pointing them towards a better outlet. Teach them what it means to be a white hat and send them on their way.