With the proliferation of Facebook and Twitter to disseminate information, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools has developed a school district administrative procedure on social media usage.
The guidelines not only relate to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram usage, but any internet-centric application or technology used for making and exchanging of opinions, messages, videos, other media forms and content.
According to the procedure, professionalism is a priority and district employees’ conduct online is subject to the same regulations as when they are on or off duty. Employees should not expect tweets and posts to be private and are responsible for what they post whether it is through their own accounts or through a pseudonym. They should ensure posts adhere to any applicable rules or codes of conduct, including from the B.C. government, a governing body or union. They should ensure it doesn’t violate privacy or confidentiality of another person.
.@sd68bc has a new admin procedure on #SocialMedia. Here it is in its entirety: https://t.co/XLhEptLJgN
— Karl Yu (@KarlYuBulletin) October 17, 2018
Employees are advised not to friend or follow students’ media accounts. Unsuitable communications are susceptible to the same rules as for other unprofessional workplace behaviour, reads the procedure.
“Anything posted online by employees or communicated electronically to non-school district parties may be perceived to be an official representative of the school district. Therefore, employees are expected to model an appropriate online presence and to exercise good judgment to ensure that postings and communications do not reflect negatively on the employee’s professional reputation or that of the school district,” the procedure states.
Employees may have to track accounts and request people not post inappropriate content to them. “What is inappropriate in the workplace is also inappropriate online, and when expressed in other electronic communications, including criticizing students, employees, parents or the school district. Electronic communications and online posts involving students, co-workers, or parents should at all times be professional in nature,” the procedure said.
In terms of students, online behaviour for school is an extension of the classroom and as such, the same rules apply and should adhere to the district’s code of conduct. Web links should be suitable for a school environment and students should report anything in appropriate.
The procedure was presented to the school board on Oct. 3 and Jeff Solomon, school trustee, was pleased, but wondered if there were other districts that had similar guidelines.
“Not all school districts have it right now,” answered Dale Burgos, school district spokesman. “I’ve actually shared our social media [procedures] with some other districts who didn’t have [them] and they were actually quite impressed with it and they’re going to be taking bits and pieces from it.”
Denise Wood, Nanaimo teachers’ union president, told the News Bulletin the union has sought a policy since November 2016, provided feedback for the procedure and thinks the rules overreach.
“What we wanted is for teachers to have some information and direction about the use of their personal devices in the classroom, cloud-based storage, with FreshGrade (a portfolio and assessment platform) there’s photographs being taken, those kinds of things that are being uploaded for parents, but we wanted direction for teachers about how to navigate that in a privacy concern world,” said Wood.
Instead, said Wood, the district has provided something that overextends itself and dictates to teachers on their conduct outside the workplace.
“I think that teachers need to be very cautious about that kind of communication with students, and teachers are,” said Wood. “That’s not what this is about. This is saying that any communication with any person on any platform needs to be always reflecting your employer and we don’t agree.”
The Nanaimo District Parent Advisory Council didn’t respond to a request for comment.
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
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