Social media under scrutiny

By

MARC VALERO

| Highlands Today

Published: August 19, 2011

SEBRING – The issue of social media contact between school employees and students continues to spark discussion by the school board, which is considering a policy that prohibits teachers and staff from being friends with students on sites such as Facebook.

“It’s probably a good idea for teachers not to be friends with students on social media such as Facebook, but I don’t know how we can enforce something or tell somebody what to do on their own time,” School Board Member Andy Tuck said Thursday. “It’s confusing to me. It’s got to be stepping on some grounds of free speech or something like that.”

After a lengthy discussion in April on the social media issue, the school board revisited it Tuesday as the board approved to advertise the district’s revised manual of technology policies and procedures.

Social networking and blogs is covered on 41/2 pages of the manual.

School Board Attorney John McClure noted at Tuesday’s meeting that the policy prohibits the use of district resources, including laptop computers and access to the Internet, etc., for inappropriate purposes.

Social media and the prohibition were the two primary changes, he said.

School Board Chairwoman Donna Howerton said the revised policy says a teacher can’t have friends on Facebook, but currently teachers can have students as friends on social media?

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Rebecca Fleck said the policy prohibits teachers from establishing a Facebook account and using it to contact students.

School Board Member Andy Tuck asked how it will be enforced.

Fleck responded it’s the same way that anything is policed, for example an inappropriate email or phone call or comment made in class. There is no big brother looking down. Hopefully when it happens it will be reported.

“I have some students who are family friends who are on my Facebook account and they will be discontinued,” she said.

Tuck said part of him agrees with the policy, but says he would not be in favor of terminating an employee because of a violation of this policy.

McClure noted that termination would depend on the facts such as if a communication between an employee and student was sexual in nature. The conduct the district is trying to regulate is the inappropriate conduct that may border on illegal conduct, he said.

School Board Member Ronnie Jackson said that there has to be a policy that protects students.

“I don’t do Facebook myself so I don’t have a problem with it,” he added.

Former school board member Richard Norris said a lot of coaches use the Internet to inform students of practice sessions.

“Those who are going to do it are going to do it anyway whether you have the blanket statement or not,” he said. “Those pedophiles that are out there, they’re going to be working these kids whether they are on Facebook or not.”

McClure said the district is not trying to prohibit contact between coaches and players.

He added that faculty comments on social media sites is a free speech issue, but if a student posts something very negative about a principal that impacts the school, it should be acted upon.

There is no perfect rule for all circumstances, McClure added.

The board will vote on adopting the policy on Sept. 20.

mvalero@highlandstoday.com (863) 386-5826

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