FERGUS FALLS, Minn. - It wasn't that long ago that School Districts sat new teachers down and explained the issue of "teacher-student" boundaries.
That meant leaving the classroom door open. or no driving a student around without others in the car. Then came Facebook, texting and Twitter.
These platforms have changed the game when it comes to student-teacher interaction and attorneys specializing in school law are preparing teachers and staff for that change.
Knowing all the responsibilities and blurred boundaries that can come from, does a school teacher accept a student's friend request on Facebook or Twitter?
Kristi Hastings with the Pemberton Firm in Fergus Falls represents several schools in the region. Part of her job is to keep teachers and staff from getting themselves in trouble.
ADVERTISEMENT
That means pointing out the ramifications of posting inappropriate pictures or jokes on Facebook or Twitter, knowing students in school follow them.
Another issue is "mandatory reporting." If a teacher and student are friends on Facebook or Twitter , and the teacher sees photos of a students athlete drinking or breaking school rules, the teacher is required to report that.
“All of those ways we communicate with each other and family have come into the school," Hastings said.
What about texting a student? Should a teacher give out their number to students?
“We encourage school district employees to avoid one on one communication with students, whether it is texting, instant messaging, or any of those means," Hastings said. “District employees are held to a different standard and that is up here, and we want to help them maintain that standing.”
Minnesota districts must also consider a revision to the Data Privacy Act, which impacts school teachers and staff.
What if a teacher snaps a picture of a student with their phone and puts it on Facebook without the student's knowledge? The school district has to alert the family about the breach.
When is texting students appropriate, and what can teachers do to shield themselves from false accusations, when students have their cell phone number?
ADVERTISEMENT
“Instead we ask them to have a (group text)....group of students or adults, along with students and avoid the one piece," Hastings said.
As Hastings points out to teachers, technology has created an ever expanding window into students' lives. While employee misconduct has always been around, there is now digital evidence of wrongdoing and it can persist far into the future.
