Stevie Klein ’12 & Emily Goldberg ’12
Editor-in-Chief & Web Managing Editor

On April 11, the Board of Education (BOE) approved a policy setting guidelines for how employees of the Westport School system can use social media.

The policy states that the Board will “regulate the use of social media by employees, including employees’ personal use of social media,” when such use has hostile intent, disrupts the work of the school district or harms the reputation of the school district.

In the policy,  the BOE acknowledges teachers’ First Amendment rights.

However, BOE member Mark Mathias explains that the reason the policy was developed is because “what teachers say can have an adverse effect on education and on other students, so there is a certain amount of responsibility that comes with being a teacher. We have First Amendment rights, but you cannot say anything you want anytime—not if it puts other people at harm.”

Despite the policy’s acknowledgement of employees’ First Amendment rights and the importance of social media in their personal lives, many teachers are still concerned with its rules.

Much of this concern stems from confusion about what exactly the policy prohibits.

“The language is way too broad. I feel it will have a chilling effect on how we use technology in the classroom, and how teachers communicate with students, teachers and the community at large,” English teacher Anne Fernandez said.          

Teacher and author Fernandez uses blogs and Twitter to advertise her book and express her political opinions. As the policy is still unclear to teachers, Fernandez worries how her personal life may be affected by the policy.

 “If I wanted to comment on educational and political policies in Westport [on blogs or Twitter], I would feel uncomfortable under this policy. I have a political life outside this school, and I have concerns about if this document may infringe on that,” she said.

Westport Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon expressed that personal blogs are acceptable uses of social media, but they cannot involve students in any way. Teachers, said Landon, cannot use the blog to harass or defame anyone and it must be unassociated with the school system.

English teacher Julia McNamee also has concerns about the policy and how it might inhibit the use of technology to further education in her classroom.

Recently, McNamee’s AP English Language class, along with the two other AP Language classes, did a project in which they utilized Twitter to practice understated language.

But the new policy forbids teachers and students to follow one another  on this site. 

“The Twitter project was fun and educational and I would want to do it again in the future,” McNamee said.

Although she understands the legal ramifications and why the Board has initiated this policy, according to McNamee, what she says on Facebook is the same as what she would say in the classroom or write on papers.

McNamee feels that with so much new technology there are many educational opportunities waiting to play out. She noted that many businesses have recently passed similar policies, however, she feels that it is different for teachers because they must have constant communication with their students.

“Education is going to have to catch up to technology. If there was a way to use Facebook that would be awesome,” she said.

Principal John Dodig agrees with this statement, and although he wishes that Facebook could be utilized for educational purposes, it is one of the reasons that this policy was enacted in the first place.

“By law, if I am a friend of yours on your Facebook page and there was a photo you posted of you at a party doing something you shouldn’t do, I am obliged to report that,” Dodig said.

McNamee concurs, saying that although she is friends with Staples alumni, she would never friend a student, in order to prevent that situation.

Dodig is aware that some teachers feel restricted by this policy, but he does not feel they have anything to be concerned about.

“We hire really bright people who have good judgement, and when they are concerned about something before they do it, they just need to ask,” Dodig said. 

He explained that he does not want to stop the usage of technology for educational purposes, but in relation to specific usages of social media in the classroom, it should be on a case-to-case basis.

“I don’t know of anything that is black and white, and definitely not in a policy like this. I can’t say in a faculty meeting this is what you can do and this is what you can’t do,” Dodig said.

Dodig promotes open communication and encourages teachers to approach him or their supervisors with any ideas for usage of social media that might be questionable.

The BOE and its lawyer, Tom Mooney, agree with Dodig that teachers have nothing to worry  about, due to the fact that the policy should not be something new, but is just an extension of good judgement.

“We view this as clarifying expectations that already exist. We do not need a policy or regulation that says you shouldn’t harass each other or have inappropriate relationships with students,” Mooney said.

Landon furthers this point by including how teachers are responsible for their own actions, saying that  if an employee puts an inappropriate post on a social media site, “the school district has no responsibility in terms of protecting or representing them in any way, which they would do ordinarily in the course of their duty.”

In order to avoid any issues, Landon encourages teachers to only contact students using the First Class email system. First Class archives emails for up to five years, so unlike social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, the administration can track conversations that have been reported to be inappropriate.

Futhermore, Landon believes Blackboard suffices for all necessary communication between students and teachers.

Dodig, the BOE, and Landon have acknowledged teacher concerns and hope to clear up any misconceptions regarding this policy.

Dodig would like all principals of the Westport public school to be consistent with their decisions, so he has requested a meeting amongst Landon and the rest of the principals.

The BOE anticipates that the policy will be altered as technology continues to evolve.

“The Board fully expects the policy will change when we learn more,” Mooney said. “For now, we are just trying to start somewhere and expect to continue to collaborate and discuss with employees.”

Mathias agrees, expressing that the “policy gives teachers guidance so they have direction,” but that “all policies are subject to change as new things come to light.”