[rayiner]

If people were doing things outside the authorized rules with their chemistry sets, for example, you can bet administrators would be pissed about that too.

I don't agree with the school's response, but I also don't buy kids hiding behind the "aptitude for computers" thing. In high school, I was programming in C++. Took a class in it. Got praised for it. You can display aptitude and interest in computers without indulging your adolescent urges to toe the line with the rules.