Below you will find more information about this specific policy.
The school 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 school strives to ensure that electronic communication tools incorporated into the school curriculum are used responsibly and safely. As practicable, the school will provide access to secure social media tools and board approved technologies for use during instructional time and for school-sponsored activities.
The school acknowledges that school employees may engage in the use of social media during their personal time. School 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 school employees, including student teachers and independent contractors, shall comply with the requirements of this policy when using electronic social media for personal purposes. In addition, all school employees must comply with policy 7310, Staff-Student Relations, when communicating with individual students through other electronic means, such as through voice, email, or text-messaging.
Employees are to maintain professional relationships with students at all times in accordance with policies 7310, Staff-Student Relations. The use of electronic media for communicating with students and parents is an extension of the employee’s workplace responsibilities. Accordingly, the school expects employees to use professional judgment when using social media or other electronic communications and to comply with the following.
The school 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’s students, however, employees are responsible for their public conduct even when they are not performing their job duties as employees of the school.
Employees will 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. Further, school employees remain subject to applicable state and federal laws, school policies, administrative regulations, and the Code of Ethics for North Carolina Educators, 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 is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
Employees are responsible for the content on their social media sites, including content added by the employee, the employee’s “friends,” or members of the public who can access the employee’s site, and for Web links on the employee’s site. Employees shall take reasonable precautions, such as using
available security settings, to manage students’ access to the employees’ personal information on social media websites and to prevent students from accessing materials that are not age-appropriate.
School employees are prohibited from accessing social networking websites for personal use during instructional time.
Employees who use social media for personal purposes must 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.
The Dean shall establish and communicate to employees guidelines that are consistent with this policy.
Issued: October 15, 2018