3.45WF—LICENSED PERSONNEL SOCIAL NETWORKING AND ETHICS

Definitions
“Social Media Account” means a personal, individual, and non-work related account with an electronic medium or service where users may create, share, or view user-generated content, including videos, photographs, blogs, podcasts, messages, emails, or website profiles or locations, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.

“Professional/education Social Media Account” means an account with an electronic medium or service where users may create, share, or view user-generated content, including videos, photographs, blogs, podcasts, messages, emails, or website profiles or locations, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.

“Blogs” means a type of networking and can be either social or professional in their orientation. Professional blogs are encouraged and can provide a place for teachers to post homework, keep parents up-to-date, and interact with students concerning school-related activities. Social blogs are discouraged to the extent they involve teachers and students in a non-education oriented format.

Policy
Technology used appropriately gives faculty new opportunities to engage students. District staff is encouraged to use educational technology, the Internet, and professional/education social networks to raise student achievement and to improve communication with parents and students. Technology and social media accounts also offer staff many ways they can present themselves unprofessionally and/or interact with students inappropriately.

It is the duty of each staff member to appropriately manage all interactions with students, regardless of whether contact or interaction with a student occurs face-to-face or by means of technology, to ensure that the appropriate staff/student relationship is maintained. This includes instances when students initiate contact or behave inappropriately themselves.

Public school employees are, and always have been, held to a high standard of behavior. Staff members are reminded that whether specific sorts of contacts are permitted or not specifically forbidden by policy, they will be held to a high standard of conduct in all their interactions with students. Failure to create, enforce and maintain appropriate professional and interpersonal boundaries with students could adversely affect the District’s relationship with the community and jeopardize the employee’s employment with the district.

The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Rules Governing the Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators requires District staff to maintain a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom. The School Board of Directors encourages all staff to read and become familiar with the Rules. Conduct in violation of the DESE Rules Governing the Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators, including, but not limited to conduct relating to the inappropriate use of technology or online resources, may be reported to the Professional License Standards Board (PLSB) and may form the basis for disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Staff members are discouraged from creating personal social media accounts to which they invite students to be friends or followers. Employees taking such action do so at their own risk and are advised to monitor the site’s privacy settings regularly.

District employees may set up blogs and other professional/education social media accounts using District resources and following District guidelines to promote communications with students, parents, and the community concerning school-related activities and for the purpose of supplementing classroom instruction. Accessing professional/education social media during school hours is permitted.

Staff is reminded that the same relationship, exchange, interaction, information, or behavior that would be unacceptable in a non-technological medium, is unacceptable when done through the use of technology. In fact, due to the vastly increased potential audience digital dissemination presents, extra caution must be exercised by staff to ensure they don’t cross the line of acceptability. A good rule of thumb for staff to use is, “if you wouldn’t say it in class, don’t say it online.”

Whether permitted or not specifically forbidden by policy or when expressed in an adult-to-adult, face-to-face context, what in other mediums of expression could remain private opinions, including “likes” or comments that endorse or support the message or speech of another person, when expressed by staff on a social media website, have the potential to be disseminated far beyond the speaker’s desire or intention. This could undermine the public’s perception of the individual’s fitness to educate students, thus undermining the teacher’s effectiveness. In this way, the expression and publication of such opinions could potentially lead to disciplinary action being taken against the staff member, up to and including termination of the contract of employment.

Accessing social media websites for personal use during school hours is prohibited, except during breaks or preparation periods. Staff is discouraged from accessing social media websites on personal equipment during their breaks and/or preparation periods because, while this is not prohibited, it may give the public the appearance that such access is occurring during instructional time. Except when expressly authorized by the employee’s job duties, staff shall not access social media websites using district equipment at any time, including during breaks or preparation periods, except in an emergency situation or with the express prior permission of school administration. Except when expressly authorized by the District employee’s job duties and when District procedures have been followed, all school district employees who participate in social media websites shall not post any school district data, documents, photographs taken at school or of students, logos, or other district-owned or created information on any website. Further, the posting of any private or confidential school district material on such websites is strictly prohibited. The posting of prohibited material or posting without following proper procedures may result in disciplinary action against the District employee, up to and including termination.

Privacy of Employee's Social Media Accounts
In compliance with A.C.A. § 11-2-124, the District shall not require, request, suggest, or cause a current or prospective employee to:

1. Except as permitted below, disclose the username and/or password to his/her personal social media account;
2. Add an employee, supervisor, or administrator to the list of contacts associated with his/her personal social media account;
3. Change the privacy settings associated with his/her personal social media account; or
4. Retaliate against the employee for refusing to disclose the username and/or password to his/her personal social media account.

The District may require an employee to disclose his or her username and/or password to a personal social media account if the employee’s personal social media account activity is reasonably believed to be relevant to the investigation of an allegation of an employee violating district policy; local laws and rules; or federal laws and regulations. If such an investigation occurs, and the employee refuses, upon request, to supply the username and/or password required to make an investigation, disciplinary action may be taken against the employee, which could include termination of the employee’s contract of employment with the District.

Notwithstanding any other provision in this policy, the District reserves the right to view any information about a current or prospective employee that is publicly available on the Internet.

In the event that the district inadvertently obtains access to information that would enable the district to have access to an employee’s personal social media account, the district will not use this information to gain access to the employee’s social media account. However, disciplinary action may be taken against an employee in accordance with other District policies for using district equipment or network capability to access such an account. Employees have no expectation of privacy in their use of District-issued computers, other electronic devices, or the use of the District's network. (See policy 3.28—LICENSED PERSONNEL TECHNOLOGY USE POLICY)

Cross-reference: 3.28—LICENSED PERSONNEL TECHNOLOGY USE POLICY

Legal References: A.C.A. § 11-2-124
RULES GOVERNING THE CODE OF ETHICS FOR ARKANSAS EDUCATORS

Date Adopted: April 11, 2011
Last Revised: April 12, 2021