Five Things: Social Networking Don’ts For Fort Lee Teachers, School Staff

The Fort Lee Board of Education approved the first reading of new policies related to “social networking and electronic communication with students” Monday.

The policy is intended to regulate, teacher, staff and student interaction via social networking sites and other electronic communications and provides guidance for staff regarding prohibited actions via social media networking sites.

Below are five guidelines included in the new policies for teaching staff and support staff members:

Number one

Educational, team, activity and emergency-related communications from administrators, teachers, coaches, advisors and other district staffers should be done using “appropriate judgment” when calling, emailing or texting students. “Whenever possible,” the guidelines state, such communications should be done with another adult in the room.

Number two

Staff members should not fraternize with students using Facebook, other social networking sites, cell phone, email, text messaging or telephone. “Fraternization,” as laid out in the policy, includes discussing such things as dating and marriage, anything of a sexual nature, expression of affection, social plans or immoral or illegal conduct like drug and alcohol use or gambling.

Number three

Staff members “should exercise appropriate professional judgment” in what they post on their personal Facebook or other social networking pages, including the nature of the information, language or photos they choose to post of or about themselves. Use of profanity; racism or sexism; and unethical, illegal, obscene or immoral actions or photos are especially frowned upon.

Number four

Staff members are not allowed to list current students as “friends” on social networking sites.

Number five

The principal at the alleged offending staff member’s school and the superintendent will investigate suspected violations of the policy and may involve local, county or state law enforcement. Anyone working for the Fort Lee public school system found to be in violation of the policy might receive disciplinary action, which could include losing his or her job.