Input sought on Social Networking, Electronic Communication Policy

Date: 10/15/2012

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW — The Longmeadow School Committee will host a public forum to discuss a Social Networking and Electronic Communication Policy it has created on Oct. 24 at the Glenbrook Middle School auditorium.

Nearly a year in the making, the policy will not only address the "dos" and "don'ts" for school employees, teachers and parents regarding electronic interactions, but will also outline approved uses of new technologies for educational purposes.

"We had run into concerns from parents about school employees connecting with current students," Michael Clark, the school committee member who wrote the policy, told Reminder Publications. "The language in our current policy is very ambiguous."

Clark first discussed the need for an updated policy with the public on Nov. 30, 2011, stating that any new policy must allow for innovation, something he said the new draft would do.

Longmeadow is one of the few towns in the Commonwealth that has created such a policy, according to Clark, who explained that most districts have adopted the Massachusetts Association of School Committee's (MASC) draft policy. Longmeadow also currently uses that MASC's policy.

He added that when developing the proposed new policy, he reached out to the Melrose School District, which also has developed similar standards.

"I spoke with Melrose because right around the time we started talking like this, the [Boston] Globe highlighted them as a district doing the exact same thing," he said. "I spoke with the woman who wrote their policy a couple of times and they sent us their policy, which we didn't use much of, but it was used for guidance."

Clark said the board's discussions with educators were "pretty collegial" and that much was learned about their concerns and visions for the use of technology.

"This policy will allow them to be innovative with technology, which we have focused a lot of time and money into upgrading, without having fear of getting in trouble," he said. "Of course, there is a lot in there about what isn't appropriate behavior because the interaction goes beyond the school day and you have to be very careful and very specific about what is appropriate.

"We had to take care in making our teachers realize that this policy was not being created to trip them up," he added.

Clark also said that when drafting the policy, he had to keep in mind that different families have different outlooks on social networking.

"One of the biggest concerns with parents is that they don't want their kids on Facebook and things like that," Clark said. "We had to figure out how to address the fact that we have all of this new technology at out disposal, but not all students have the same amount of access at home."

The policy will also be posted on the district's website for 30 days, during which residents can comment and make suggestions regarding the regulations.

For more information, contact Clark at mailtomclark@longmeadow.k12.ma.us or the district office at 565-4200 ext. 4012.