NEWS

District creates social media policy for employees

By EMMA BARTLETT
Posted 11/1/22

Following incidents of inappropriate communications between students and school staff within Rhode Island, Cranston Public Schools created a social media policy for all district employees as …

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NEWS

District creates social media policy for employees

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Following incidents of inappropriate communications between students and school staff within Rhode Island, Cranston Public Schools created a social media policy for all district employees as proactive measure to prevent such occurrences from taking place within the district. The document addresses how employees should interact with students and parents online and went before the School Committee’s September workshop meeting. The policy, which was approved on Oct. 17, will be shared with all district employees.

Social media can serve as an effective tool to enhance learning, communication and professional development, however, it needs to be used responsibly. According to CPS, the social media policy applies to all district faculty and staff users of district-owned or leased technology as well as CPS network users. The district will also take steps to ensure that vendors, volunteers and independent contractors are informed of and comply with this policy. The policy does not pertain to social media or online communications between a district employee who is related to a student or employees who are related.

“District employees should exercise caution, sound judgment and common sense when using professional social media sites, remembering at all times that online activity has the potential to become public activity, even when one believes that they are posting in a private group or on a private page,” reads the new policy.

The policy pertains to blogs, comments on websites, discussion forums and any other activity online involving connecting or communication with other users. Fraternization, stalking, sexual harassment via the internet, direct messaging, text messaging and posting between school personnel and students are prohibited. Additionally, CPS employees should not post, forward or otherwise disseminate any data, documents, photos, images, videos or other information using any CPS technology medium which might disrupt the educational process.

All district employees who engage in social media activities for professional purposes are asked to maintain separate professional and personal email addresses and refrain from using their personal emails for these social media accounts. Regular and continuous use of a personal email address for professional purposes, including social media use, is not permissible. District employees using professional social media as an identified member of CPS staff have no expectation of privacy with regard to use of such media.

The district did recognize the role that communication and collaboration between employees and students, including district athletes and those students who are participants in other extra-curricular activities, plays in the educational process and experience.

According to the policy, all communications between current students and current district employees should take place either in Google Classroom, via a student’s school email account and using a Cranston Public Schools professional email account, or through a district approved app such as Remind and Talking Points. The district’s faculty and staff are also responsible for immediately reporting any inappropriate communication received from a student.

District employees should not communicate with enrolled students on personal social media sites, except when communicating with students’ parents or guardians or if an emergency situation requires such communication. Additionally, use of student time on social media should have a defined instructional purpose that is consistent with CPS’s mission and vision. CPS computers and school personnel time are to be used strictly for educational purposes and access to social networking websites or applications for personal use during school hours is prohibited.

social, media, emplyees

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