Educational Policy and Social Media
Kathryn Procope
Bowie State University
EDAD 880
Dr. Anne Hilliard

Case Study Overview

• How does social media affect educational policy today
• How schools are using social media
• Social media implications for students, teachers, parents, school districts

Current Statistics on Social Media Usage

Case Study: Triad Community School District

• 3700 students in the school district, 6 schools
• State Law passed Jan 1, 2015 defined cyber bullying and tasked administrators to investigate bullying thoroughly
• Illinois' Right to Privacy in the School Setting Act became law in January 2014

Case Study: Triad Community School District

• Letter sent to parents informing them that in some circumstances, student social media passwords will have to be provided to administrators, if school has reasonable cause to believe that the student has violated the school disciplinary code
• Parents protested

Implications of this Policy

• Privacy issue
• First Amendment rights to Free speech
• Fourteenth Amendment rights to protection from unlawful search and seizure

Social Media Education Policy in the U. S.

• Alabama - Huntsville city school district hiring a firm to monitor students' social media postings
• California - Lodi Unified School district had to remove a policy that punished athletes and club members for inappropriate social media use

Social Media Education Policy in the U. S.

• Florida - Pinellas County voted to block teachers from communicating with students via Facebook or Twitter even about school matters
• New York - New York City law bans the possession of a mobile phone in public school buildings

State and Local Policies Vary

• Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Rhode Island and Utah have recently passed laws related to a school's right to access students' social media accounts
• Similar laws address employers' authority to demand access to employees's social media accounts and passwords

Federal Legislation to be Considered

• Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) - protects children under 13 from having their personal information collected without consent of a parent or guardian
• Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) - requires schools to provide Internet filtering to prevent student access to offensive content.

Outside Monitoring of Social Media Activity

• Alabama - paid an outside firm to monitor student social media activity. Investigation resulted in the expulsion of 14 students - 12 of the students were African American

Social Media as Learning Networks

• Teach responsible digital citizenship
• Integrate technology seamlessly into curriculum
• Craft responsible policies
• http://www.cosn.org/AUPguide
• http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators

Responsible Use Policies

• Create clear guidelines for teachers and students
• Distinguish between professional use and personal use of social media
• Identify the standards that social media will address and how it will be a part of instruction
• Protect students' privacy

References

• Lin, Meng-Fen, Ellen Hoffman, and Claire Borengasser. “Is Social Media Too Social for Class? A Case Study of Twitter Use.” TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning 57, no. 2 (February 2013): 39–45. doi:10.1007/s11528-013-0644-2. Street, 1615 L., NW, Suite 700 Washington, and DC 20036 202 419 4300 | Main 202 419 4349 | Fax 202 419 4372 | Media Inquiries. “Social Networking Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Accessed March 12, 2015. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/. “School Social Media Policies Juggle Safety with Free Speech.” District Administration Magazine. Accessed March 11, 2015. http://www.districtadministration.com/article/school-social-media-policies-....
• Street, 1615 L., NW, Suite 700 Washington, and DC 20036 202 419 4300 | Main 202 419 4349 | Fax 202 419 4372 | Media Inquiries. “Social Networking Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Accessed March 12, 2015. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/. “School Social Media Policies Juggle Safety with Free Speech.” District Administration Magazine. Accessed March 11, 2015. http://www.districtadministration.com/article/school-social-media-policies-....
• “School Social Media Policies Juggle Safety with Free Speech.” District Administration Magazine. Accessed March 11, 2015. http://www.districtadministration.com/article/school-social-media-policies-....