Judge ‘Dislikes’ Missouri Ban On Teacher-Student Facebook Friendships
August 27, 2011 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
Don’t worry, Missouri students. You can still be Facebook friends with your teachers.
Earlier this summer, Missouri passed a law banning “exclusive contact” between teachers and students on social networking sites, fearing their Facebook contact could turn from online poking into real-world seductions. Privacy expert Daniel Solove said that the Show-Me state wasn’t showing enough respect for teacher and students’ constitutional right to free speech. Status update: It now appears that his prediction that the law was doomed was a prescient one.
A Missouri teachers’ union filed a lawsuit against the state this week alleging that the law was unconstitutional and vague. Based on the phrasing — it said teachers “cannot have a nonwork-related website that allows exclusive access with a current or former student” –some interpreted it as meaning teachers couldn’t have Facebook accounts at all. The Associated Press reports that a judge has blocked the law from going into effect this Sunday (it was set to take effect at the beginning of the school year):
Circuit Judge Jon Beetem issued a preliminary injunction blocking it until at least February, saying the restrictions “would have a chilling effect” on free speech rights.
via The Associated Press: Mo. judge blocks Facebook limits for teachers.
Meanwhile, the governor has called for the law’s repeal. “In a digital world, we must recognize that social media can be an important tool for teaching and learning,” said Gov. Jay Nixon, according to the AP.
So, for now, it looks like Missouri students are free to give their teachers an apple and send them a Facebook friend request on the first day of school Monday. And if anything inappropriate occurs, at least there will be a digital trail to make prosecution easier.
