Connections and Perceptions:

1. Connections and Perceptions: Policy Recommendations to Guide Social Media Interactions for Public Educators Dr. Stephanie Smith Dr. Virginia Ann Conover

2. Action Items for Today’s Session • Establish the need for a social media policy to guide educators and protect school districts. • Provide best practices in regards to the development of such policies based on research. • Share the steps taken by districts in our state to create a proactive policy.

3. A little about us… Stephanie Virginia Ann 21 years as an educator Former high school teacher, guidance counselor, and middle school principal Currently – Director of Human Resources and Public Information for the Seaford School District, DE 19 years as an educator Currently – middle school special education teacher Adjunct Professor in a Educational Leadership Doctoral Program at Wilmington University, DE

4. “Primarily Internet and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications, and social interaction, alongside the construction of words, pictures, video, and audio” (Delaware Department of Technology and Information, 2009, p. 5). What is Social Media?

5. Social Networking Use • “61% of educators…members of at least one, or more, social networks” • “78% of those between the ages of 18 and 34 had joined a social network compared to 65% of those aged 35 to 54, and 47% over 55 years old” • (EdWeb.net, 2010, p. 7).

6. How does your workplace address the issue?

7. Do we need a social media policy?“The introduction of online social networking has created a cultural shift related to the idea of privacy: some people today are willing to expose more about themselves…Are there any rules when it comes to teachers using social networking sites?”(Carter, Foulger, & Ewbank, 2011, p. 2)

9. Nationwide Policy Reactions (nCircle, 2011, p.1) “42 percent of ‘corporate compliance officers’ who responded reported that their organizations have disciplined employees for activities on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn… (Nexsen/Pruitt, 2011, p. 1) 12 of 50 states have state school boards which have begun to address the issue of social media policies to guide interaction between educators and the students they serve (Preston, 2011)

10. Social Media Missteps • “Since the dawn of time, teachers have engaged in behavior they don’t want the whole world to know about, but before the Internet, no one found out about it. Now all this behavior can be depicted online in unexpected ways…now there is a change in who can know, and what it means for them to know”. • (Sullivan, 2010, p. 3)

11. Sexual Misconduct PREDATOR EDUCATORS: Social media can turn and bite ‘bad apples’ in illicit school affairs” (Shortridge, 2012, p.1) Illinois - “teacher was found guilty… sexual abuse and assault charges involving a… student with whom he had exchanged more than 700 text messages” California- “high school band director…guilty…sexual misconduct… with a … student; her Facebook page had more than 1,200 private messages from him” (Preston, 2011, p. 4).

12. Privacy violations…and worse…

13. Standards are Increased for Educators • Determining Acceptable Behavior • “A teacher … shapes the attitude of young minds towards the society in which they live ... the state must preserve the integrity of the schools… school authorities have the right and the duty to screen the officials, teachers, and employees as to their fitness to maintain the integrity of the schools…” • (Adler v. Board of Ed., 1952, p. 5)

14. Legal Precedent • “..the backbone of teacher speech and expression analysis to this day and every teacher protected under the First Amendment’s Free Expression Clause in the United States must survive the …test…” • (Bathon & Brady, 2010, p. 218) • Pickering Balancing Test (1968)

15. Balancing Test Applied • “First, is the speech on a matter of public concern? If not, constitutional protections do not attach. • Second, is the employee speaking as a citizen or as an employee? • Third, if the speech is on a matter of public concern and is made by an employee speaking as a citizen, the courts conduct a balancing test to determine whether the government’s interest in maintaining an effective, non-disruptive workplace outweighs the employee’s right to speak freely” (DiBianca, 2010, p. 1).

16. Challenges 2008 – Social Media Precedent Spanierman v. Hughes • Reasonable to expect teachers “to maintain a professional, respectful association with students” • “Lesson is that technology further blurs the boundaries between in-school and out-of-school business” (Zirkel, 2009, p.389) Snyder v. Millersville • Public vs. personal concerns • Student teacher

17. Policy Recommendations and Implications Chapter 3

18. Know your community… … and your negotiated agreement!

19. Delaware School Districts

20. Policy Recommendation One Clearly define key terms used within the policy, whom the policy is intended, or not intended, to cover, and the content and language of the policy.

21. Policy Recommendation Two Align the social media policy with other applicable district policies and ensure language used is adaptable to new technological advances.

22. Policy Recommendation Three Communicate the purpose of the policy and articulate the positive and protective aspects of the policy for stakeholders.

23. Policy Recommendation Four Share positive social media practices, clearly establish prohibited conduct, communicate monitoring procedures, duty to report conditions, and consequences for violation of the policy.

24. Implications Inconsistent handling of social media issues Uncertainty regarding what is, and is not, appropriate Potential for legal action – always seek legal advice!! Increased chance that staff may endanger their careers Potential harm to our students and to the reputation of our school district Reactive vs. Proactive

25. Concluding Thoughts… For further research… Student Social Media Policy Continuous Monitoring of Court Decisions “There’s an old lawyer’s saw that goes something like this: Never put in writing anything that you wouldn’t want read in open court or by your mother…maybe it’s time for an updated adage…

26. …Never put in electronic form anything that you wouldn’t want viewed by a million people, including your colleagues, students, and supervisors –and your mother.” (as cited in Helms, 2008, p. 1).

27. Thank you for your attention!

28. Contact Information Dr. Stephanie Smith ssmith@seaford.k12.de.us Dr. Virginia Ann Conover vconover@seaford.k12.de.us www.seafordbluejays.org