FILE: EFAA
EMPLOYEE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The St. John the Baptist Parish 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 St. John the Baptist Parish School Board strives to ensure that electronic communication tools incorporated into the school curriculum are used responsibly and safely. As practicable, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board shall provide access to secure social media tools and St. John the Baptist Parish School Board approved technologies for use during instructional time and for school-sponsored activities in accordance with policy IFBGA, Computer and Internet Use.
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board acknowledges that employees may engage in the use of social media during their personal time. 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 and any other social media generally available to the public or consumers that does not fall within the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board’s technologies network (e.g., Web 2.0 tools, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat).
SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS INVOLVING STUDENTS
Employees shall maintain a professional relationships with students at all times in accordance with policies GAMIA, Electronic Communications Between Employees and Students, and GBRA, Employee Conduct. All electronic communications with students who are currently enrolled in the school system must be school-related and within the scope of the employees’ professional responsibilities, unless otherwise authorized by this policy. 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. An employee seeking to utilize and/or establish a non-school-controlled social media website for instructional or other school-related purposes shall obtain prior written approval from the Superintendent or his/her designee and principal and meet any applicable requirements of policies IFBGA, Computer and Internet Use.
The use of electronic media for communicating with students and parents is considered an extension of the employee’s workplace responsibilities. Accordingly, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board shall expect employees to use professional judgment when using social media or other electronic communications.
EMPLOYEE PERSONAL USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board respects the right of employees to use social media as a medium of self-expression on their personal time. 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, St. John the Baptist Parish 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 interferes with the employee’s ability to effectively perform his or her job duties, the employee shall be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
POSTING TO SOCIAL MEDIA SITES
Employees who use social media for personal purposes shall be aware that the content they post 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, employees or School Board business.
Employees shall be professional in all Internet postings related to or referencing the School Board, students and other employees.
Employees shall not use the school system’s logo or other copyrighted material of the School Board without express, written consent from the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board.
Employees shall not use Internet postings to libel or defame the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board, individual School Board members, students or any employees.
Employees shall not use Internet postings to harass, bully or intimidate other employees or students in violation of policy JCDAF, Bullying and Hazing, or state and federal laws.
Employees shall not post inappropriate content that negatively impacts their ability to perform their jobs.
Employees shall not use Internet postings to engage in any other conduct that violates St. John the Baptist Parish School Board policy and administrative regulations or procedures or state and federal laws.
Employees’ comments related to a school shall always meet the highest standards of professional discretion. When posting, even on the strictest settings, employees shall act on the assumption that all postings are in the public domain.
Employees shall not make statements that in any way violate any of the school’s or School Board’s policies, administrative regulations or procedures, including those concerning discrimination or harassment.
Employees shall not disclose any confidential information of the school, or confidential information obtained during the course of his/her employment, about any individuals or organizations, including students and/or their families.
CONSEQUENCES
School Board personnel shall monitor online activities of employees who access the Internet using school technological resources. Additionally, the Superintendent or his/her designee may periodically conduct public Internet searches to determine if an employee has engaged in conduct that violates this policy. Any employee who has been found by the Superintendent to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.
The Superintendent shall establish and communicate to employees guidelines that are consistent with this policy.
New policy: October 18, 2018
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, 10-18-18
St. John the Baptist Parish School Board