One legal issue I am concerned about is teachers using social media, and particularly Facebook.
There are actually several points to consider when discussing teachers on Facebook.
-Should teachers be friends with students?
-Should teachers be friends with parents?
-Should teachers be allowed to have Facebook accounts at all?
Do I think teachers should be banned from having Facebook accounts? No.
Do I think teachers should be friends with their students? Absolutely not.
Do I think teachers should be friends with parents? No. There are plenty of other people out there to be friends with. Don't put yourself at risk. You never know who you can trust.
Teachers have a right to a private life. Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. Teachers do, however, need to be careful about what they post and what is posted on their wall. I think it is more challenging for teachers fresh out of college to manage their Facebook accounts as there are often tagged photos that may not be appropriate for a professional teacher to put out there. Fortunately, there are many privacy settings to take advantage of. Just be careful of what you post and decide whether or not it's worth your career...
An interesting article from NPR on the subject. Click here
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