As we move forward with AI technology and the use of social media, the FHSD Board of Education has taken an outdated step back with a new update to Regulation 6335. The regulation, originally made in 2011, now restricts teachers in the district from posting photos of their students and classroom content to personal social media accounts. With teachers in the past having no issue showing the activities and ongoings in the classroom, this new update feels like a step back and left many administration, teachers and students confused. This restriction is outdated and generates a negative feeling from the district to teachers which further disconnects teachers from the larger FHSD community.

According to a member of the Board, the update to the regulation was prompted by a teacher posting a photo from her vacation and then a following photo of content related to her job as a teacher. This innocent post caused some in the district to look into the regulation closer and see what sort of rules were in place for teachers and social media. This type of content is typical among teachers on social media who want to share about their travels, family and career on the same platform. With this new restriction in place, it limits teachers’ ability to connect with parents and students.

The intention behind the policy is well- meaning; to have teachers be mindful of what they post and protect the privacy of students. If a student wishes not to be photographed and posted on social media somewhere, then they should have the ability to say no. Students can accomplish this through FERPA with new opt-out forms being issued this year. The school and teachers are made fully aware of any student who opts out. High school students are also old enough to just say they don’t want to be photographed if a teacher pulls out a camera.

That being said, the wording of the regulation is vague and provides students, parents and teachers with little direction. The changes made to the regulation are left up to the district communications team to decide how to interpret. Once the board has made changes to the regulation, it is no longer their responsibility. So, the board can be as vague as they wish without having to answer the many criticisms that may come with any policy or change. In addition, not all members of the Board who updated the regulation were fully aware of FERPA’s impacts, not knowing whether or not the school was even made aware of any students who opted out. This increased the confusion with the regulation among the Board and subsequently the communications team and teachers.

Along with confusion, the updates made to Regulation 6335 created a feeling of mistrust between district admin and teachers. By limiting a teacher’s use of social media, the district is indirectly saying that teachers can misuse social media and therefore should not post about school-related content. This creates a situation similar to that of elementary school. If one person does something wrong, then everybody is punished. Because one teacher posted a photo from a vacation and then posted school-related content, now no teachers are allowed to share what goes on in their classrooms. Many view this as the board exerting their power over teachers and creating a world where teachers are not responsible adults who can use their social media correctly.

In today’s world, social media is the main way people keep up with what is new and communicate with each other. The district should see social media as a tool to connect with students and parents. Parents would like to know what goes on in the classrooms and who better to share that information than the teachers who teach the students? By not allowing teachers to share what goes on in the classroom, it creates a disconnect between parents and teachers. Furthermore, students often enjoy seeing their faces represented in their favorite teacher’s social media posts or get excited about a lesson that is to come. Now, students are unable to see themselves being highlighted by a teacher or are now only to be recognized by the district’s social media. With over 17,000 students in FHSD, the chance that a student is to be recognized by a district-sponsored account is unlikely.

Beyond that, students enjoy seeing what goes on in their teacher’s lives. Being able to see a teacher have fun with their kids, go to fun places or enjoy their hobbies only serves to humanize them to students. Students can share a hobby with a teacher that they wouldn’t have known otherwise, or have traveled to the same destination a teacher has that they saw via social media.

Instead of banning teachers from posting school-related content on their personal social media, teachers should be given social media training to learn about what is expected of them. To blindly assume that the over 2,400 employees of the district can use social media respectively is unrealistic. Currently, employees of the district receive general technology do’s and don’t as part of their training. However, if those teachers were given the opportunity to learn about what they should post on their personal accounts so that they can also post school-related content on the same account, that would be reasonable.

There are many ways in which the district could explore giving access to teachers to post social media content. A broad ban on all posting of school content is too restrictive and is a simple solution to a problem that requires close analysis and teacher and district communication. For the district to gain the trust of its teachers, it needs to place faith in teachers that they will act responsibly.

Gallery • 3 Photos