FILE: E-6.2a
EMPLOYEE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The City of Baker School Board recognizes the importance of incorporating current technology tools, including new methods of electronic communication, into the classroom to enhance student learning. It further recognizes the importance of employees, students and parents engaging, learning, collaborating and sharing in digital environments as part of 21st Century learning. The City of Baker School Board strives to ensure that electronic communication tools incorporated into the school curriculum are used responsibly and safely. As practicable, the City of Baker School Board shall provide access to secure social media tools and City of Baker School Board approved technologies for use during instructional time and for school-sponsored activities in accordance with policies E-6.2, Internet Safety and Network Use, and G-8.3 Computer and Internet Use.
Employees who use social media for personal purposes must be mindful that they are responsible for their public conduct even when not acting in their capacities as school system employees. All employees, including student teachers and independent contractors shall comply with the requirements of this policy when using electronic social media for personal purposes.
For the purposes of this policy, social media includes, but is not limited to, personal websites, web logs (blogs), wikis, social network sites, online forums, virtual worlds, video-sharing websites, on-line gaming, and any other social media generally available to the public or consumers that does not fall within the City of Baker School Board’s technologies network (e.g., Web 2.0 tools, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube,)
SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS INVOLVING STUDENTS
Employees shall maintain professional relationships with students at all times in accordance with policies F-12.9a, Electronic Communications Between Employees and Students, and F-12.8, Employee Conduct. School personnel using School Board-controlled technological resources and social media tools to communicate directly with students or to comment on student matters through use of the Internet shall abide by all policies governing such activities.
The use of electronic media for communicating with students, if permitted by School Board policy, and parents is considered an extension of the employee’s workplace responsibilities. Accordingly, the City of Baker School Board shall expect employees to use professional judgment when using social media or other electronic communications.
Employees are prohibited from knowingly communicating with current students through a personal social network page. Employees who wish to utilize social media for professional purposes are strongly encouraged to maintain separate personal and professional accounts. Employees who identify themselves as district employees on their personal accounts are also advised to include a statement on their personal accounts that their opinions are personal and not intended to be reflective of the district. Any electronic communication made by an employee to any student enrolled in a public school in this school district or that is received by an employee from any student enrolled in a public school in this school district using a means other than one provided by or made available by the school system shall be reported by the employee in a manner deemed appropriate by the School Board. Records of any such reported communication shall be maintained by the School Board for a period of at least one (1) year. Employees shall be reminded of this policy on an annual basis with emphasis on the extension of their status as mandatory reporters in the social media setting.
EMPLOYEE PERSONAL USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The City of Baker School Board respects the right of employees to use social media as a medium of self-expression outside of the school day. As role models for the school system’s students, however, employees shall be responsible for their public conduct even when they are not performing their job duties as employees of the School Board. Employees shall be held to the same professional standards in their public use of social media and other electronic communications as they are for any other public conduct. Furthermore, employees remain subject to applicable state and federal laws, City of Baker School Board policies, and administrative regulations and procedures, even if communicating with others concerning personal and private matters. If an employee’s use of social media has the potential to or does substantially or materially interfere with the educational mission of the school or school system, the employee shall be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
Employees are responsible for the content posted from their social media sites, including content added by the employee, the employee’s friends or members of the public who are using the employee’s credentials to login, and for Web links on the employee’s site. Employees shall take reasonable precautions, such as using available security settings, to restrict students from viewing their personal information on social media websites and to prevent students from accessing materials that are not age-appropriate.
Employees shall be prohibited from accessing social networking websites for personal use during the school day or with School Board technological resources.
POSTING TO SOCIAL MEDIA SITES
Employees who use social media for personal purposes shall be aware that the content they post, despite their best efforts, may be viewed by anyone, including students, parents and community members. Employees shall observe the following principles when communicating through social media:
Employees shall not post confidential information about students (policy H-12, Student Records), employees or school system business.
Employees shall not accept current students as “friends” or “followers” or otherwise connect with students on social media sites, unless the employee and student have a family relationship.
Employees may not grant students access to any portions of their personal social media sites, unless the employee and student have a family relationship.
Employees shall be professional in all Internet postings related to or referencing the school system, students and other employees.
Employees shall not use profane, pornographic, obscene, indecent, lewd, vulgar or sexually offensive language, pictures or graphics or other communication that could reasonably be anticipated to cause a substantial disruption to the school environment.
Employees shall not use the school system’s logo or other copyrighted material of the system without express, written consent from the City of Baker School Board.
Employees shall not post identifiable images of a student or student’s family.
Employees shall not use Internet postings to libel or defame the City of Baker School Board, students or other school employees.
Employees shall not use Internet postings to harass, bully or intimidate other employees or students in violation of School Board policy H-3.3g, Bullying and Hazing, or state and federal laws.
Employees shall not post inappropriate content that negatively impacts their ability, or that of other employees, to perform their jobs.
Employees shall not use Internet postings to engage in any other conduct that violates City of Baker School Board policy and administrative procedures or state and federal laws.
CONSEQUENCES
Any employee who has been found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.
The Superintendent or designee shall establish and communicate to employees guidelines and best practices that are consistent with this policy.
New policy: July 7, 2020
Ref: U.S. Constitution, Amend. I
17 USC 101 et seq. (Copyrights)
18 USC 2510-2522 (Electronic Communications Privacy Act)
20 USC 1232g (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
20 USC 7131 (Internet Safety)
47 USC 254 (Children’s Internet Protection Act)
Board minutes, 7-7-20
City of Baker School Board