Ohio district limits teachers’ use of social media
CINCINNATI — Teachers cannot become friendly with students on Facebook and other social networking sites and can’t text or send them instant messages under a new policy in one of Ohio’s largest school districts.
The Dayton Public Schools policy — which also prohibits teachers from responding to students’ attempts at communicating through any personal or professional accounts not approved by the district — was adopted after reviewing other districts’ policies and a model suggested by the Ohio School Boards Association, district spokeswoman Jill Moberley said yesterday.
The Dayton district is one of many around Ohio that have contacted the association on the issue of teachers and social media, said Sara Clark, the association’s deputy director of legal services.
“It’s a hot topic for school districts right now, and we are getting more calls on it,” Clark said.
Clark says there is no way of knowing how many districts have such policies. It is up to each district to decide whether to follow the association’s suggested policy that includes barring fraternization between staff and students through electronic media.
“Obviously there are some risks associated with students and teachers having a relationship outside of school, and this is designed to keep those issues from occurring,” Clark said.
Moberley says the district recognized that social media are growing and wanted “to develop a forward-thinking policy setting some parameters.”
The head of the Dayton teachers union, who says students have been known to use social media against teachers, welcomes the new policy.
“I see it as a form of protection for teachers,” said David Romick, president of the Dayton Education Association. “We have cautioned members for years to be careful about the use of social media and about keeping their professional and private lives separate.”
Teachers in Missouri had complained that a state ban there on teachers having private conversations with students over Internet sites would hamper their ability to keep in touch with students.
State lawmakers approved the ban after more than 80 Missouri teachers lost their licenses between 2001 and 2005 because of sexual misconduct. Some of those cases involved exchanging explicit online messages with students.
A judge, concerned about free-speech rights, has temporarily blocked portions of the law from taking effect.
A Cincinnati attorney who specializes in media and First Amendment issues said much of the concern in Missouri focuses on whether the law goes too far — especially in prohibiting contact between teachers and former students.
“There are sometimes good mentoring relations that couldn’t continue if a student went on to college,” attorney Jack Greiner said.
He says Missouri is the only state he knows of that has handled the issue through statute, but it may not matter whether prohibitions are made at the state or local level.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone challenges this somewhere in Ohio,” Greiner said.
Beavercreek City Schools Superintendent Nick Verhoff told the Dayton Daily News that his southwest Ohio district’s policy authorizes teachers to access social media from the district’s network, provided there is an educational purpose and they have the principal’s approval. But it prohibits personal access and use of social media, blogs or chat rooms from the district’s network.
The Warren City School District in northeast Ohio prohibits teachers from social media contact with students on the district’s networks for non-educational purposes and is working on an update that could impose similar restrictions on teachers using personal computers, said district spokesman Aaron Schwab.
Tags: Associated Press, social media, social networking, teacher speech
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Ken Paulson is president and chief executive officer/First Amendment Center. Previously, Paulson served as editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today and USATODAY.com.
Gene Policinski, senior vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center, is a veteran journalist whose career has included work in newspapers, radio, television and online.
John Seigenthaler founded the First Amendment Center in 1991 with the mission of creating national discussion, dialogue and debate about First Amendment rights and values.
Dr. Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum. He writes and speaks extensively on religious liberty and religion in American public life.
David L. Hudson Jr. is a scholar at the First Amendment Center. Hudson writes for firstamendmentcenter.org and for other publications devoted to First Amendment issues.
Tiffany Villager is director/First Amendment studies at the First Amendment Center, which she joined in 1993. She also served as the center’s research manager and research coordinator, and developed the center’s library.
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