Should Teachers "Friend" Their Students?
August 24, 2011 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
As of Aug. 28, “friending” students on social networking sites like Facebook will be downright illegal for Missouri teachers. The state is the first to enact such a law.
Senate Bill 54, known as the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, will make it illegal for teachers and students to communicate privately via these sites and requires school districts to draw up policies by January that will outline acceptable and unacceptable student/teacher interaction online. The law will not prevent students from becoming “fans” of a teacher’s public Facebook Page.
The law’s namesake is a 40-year-old woman who was sexually molested by a teacher when she was in her early teens and, until recently, had not shared her ordeal with others.
The Missouri State Teachers Association is seeking an injunction to prevent the enforcement of a portion of the new law, citing their constitutional rights to free speech and association. They believe the law will lessen their ability to effectively communicate with students about classroom issues and emergencies. The law will not ban teachers from using Facebook and other social websites.
Missouri state senator Jane Cunningham told the Huffington Post that the law “only stops hidden communication between an educator and a minor child.”
The law was proposed following an investigation conducted by the Associated Press between 2001 and 2005 that uncovered 87 cases of Missouri teachers who had lost their license due to sexual misconduct with a student.
Is this a First Amendment violation? Is it appropriate for teachers and students to have an online relationship? If so, how would it be beneficial and what are the risks?
