After recent controversies surrounding the use and mis-use of social media among teachers in the Claremont School District, discussion over the right for teachers to use social media websites such as Facebook to connect with their students has ensued.

The current Claremont School Board policy on social media use reads as follows:

"School District employees are prohibited from engaging in any conduct on social networking websites that violates the law, school district policies, or other standards of conduct. School District employees who violate this policy will face discipline and/or termination, in line with other School District policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, if applicable.

The standard of "professional boundaries" must always be employed by staff when using internet or electronic device-driven communication with students. Staff must only interact with students as professionals within their educational responsibilities and roles - not as "friends." Staff must be aware that the use of social networking sites, applications, and devices can quickly lead to issues with appropriate staff-student boundaries. Staff must not be "friends" with students, must not text, email, or Tweet (for example) with or to students about anything not directly related to school activities and school work.

Nothing in this policy prohibits employees, faculty, staff or students from the use of educational websites if such sites are used solely for educational purposes.

Details about building-level rules in this policy will be disseminated through School Board-approved Student-Parent Handbooks and staff handbooks annually."

After the termination of Carol Thebarge, a beloved teacher who used her Facebook account as an outreach tool that helped many students, it has become apparent that this policy is outdated and needs revision. The Internet is a technological wonder that grows and changes with every passing day. Policy surrounding its use needs to be adapted along with these changes. The language of the current policy is vague and not in line with the current culture of the Internet. Being 'friends' with anyone on Facebook is not the same as being 'friends' with anyone outside of the Internet.

Social media is merely an extension of 'the real world' and any activity that occurs on these platforms is an extension of one's social life. Restricting access to these platforms and the ways in which they can be used is not only an ineffective method of preventing their abuse, but an infringement on the rights of teachers, parents, and students within the district.

A school should not restrict the ability of teachers and students to socialize with anyone outside of the school building, because that is not its responsibility. That responsibility lies with each individual parent choosing who their child may or may not socialize with, in the 'real world' and online.

In the future, policy should dictate that educators should be more than welcome to use social media as they see fit--as a private, personal profile or as an educational tool--and individual concerns should be brought to the proper authorities (such as school administrators or the police) as parents and students wish. This is a more effective way of preventing the mis-use of technology in the age of the free Internet: as it is said, 'it takes a village'. Although the school should not reserve the right to police how social media is used in an educational capacity or otherwise, a district should feel more than welcome to investigate and pursue punitive action against employees who use these platforms as a means to pursue illegal activities.

Teachers who choose to use social media to connect with their students may follow current literature on professionalism and netiquette, such as described in the following link:
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/ultimate-guide-to-use-of-facebook-in.html?m=1

We support and encourage the district to simply focus on teaching proper use of the Internet to students and teachers instead of forcefully controlling the ways in which it can be used. It is up to the individual to decide how they will use social media. It is not the responsibility of the school district to decide for them.