District 113 Officials Pledge Not To Discipline Staff For Constitutional Speech

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Officials in Township High School District 113 called on community members not to troll or harass staff members who exercise constitutionally protected speech on personal social media.

Board President Anne Neumann spoke to faculty members about social media use and district-approved communications between staff and students ahead of an institute date presentation on the subject by the high school district's attorneys earlier this month.

"The board will not direct administration to discipline staff for constitutionally protected speech on personal social media accounts," Neumann said, summarizing her remarks at last week's board meeting.

"We need our staff to adhere to [the board's personal technology and social media usage and conduct policy], ensuring their social media accounts follow the definition of personal as outlined in that board policy," she said.

The move comes after some parents have expressed outrage over social media posts by staff members of Deerfield and Highland Park high schools regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

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The school board president said students are not educated in a vacuum.

"It occurs within the landscape of local national and global events and now more than ever we know we have students and staff directly and indirectly impacted by these events — whether here in Highland Park while we await the July 4th murders trial to begin, or in our nation with the immigration crisis intensifying and the US presidential election unfolding or globally with both the Israeli-Hamas and the Ukrainian-Russian wars continuing," Neumann said.

"This is just what we know can impact our community. And we know our students are native users of these social media platforms," she said. "They are connected to the world in ways we have never been."

Under the District 113 board policy, staff member's personal accounts must be unrelated to their role as a district employee, must not feature the district's logos or school names or include any current students.

Employees must also "inform their immediate supervisor if a student initiates inappropriate contact with them via any form of technology or social media or if they become aware of a threat or risk of harm to the district or any of its students, employees, Board members, schools, or anyone in any of its schools."

Superintendent Bruce Law said all District 113 staff have lives outside of their jobs, and some may want to express themselves on social media.

In a message to the community, Law said staff should be able to do so while being "free from being harassed, trolled, canceled, etc. when expressing constitutionally protected speech that people disagree with."

District officials have also reiterated board policies regarding communication between students and staff, which is permitted only on approved platforms, including District 113 Google email and chat, Remind, BB Comms - Finalsite, Constant Contact, Infinite Campus, ParentSquare and Schoology.

"Note that Snapchat and TikTok are not listed as approved platforms and should not be used for communications between staff and students," Law said in the message.

Earlier this year, administrators disciplined the theatre director at Deerfield High School over her alleged use of Snapchat to communicate with students and by allowing students to see certain photographs of her on her Instagram account, seemingly due to attention drawn to it by the drama teacher's repost of an Ibram Kendi statement asserting that the Israeli military was committing crimes against humanity and against history. In a written reprimand, the teacher was directed to deny all future requests from students to follow her on social media.

At the April 9 board meeting, the superintendent, who is retiring at the end of the school year, also emphasized the need for civility — especially when community members see social media posts by staff with which they do not agree.

"I can't tell if these difficult times are made worse by the fact that, you know, anyone who wants it can just get a megaphone and start shouting — or if these times are difficult because anyone who wants a megaphone can have one and start shouting on social media," he said.

"But these are difficult times," he said. "And, Anne, you said all these things are happening in the world I'm worried about those. I'm also worried, really worried, about what's coming."