School Committee aims to draft new social media policy

Date: 11/28/2011

Nov. 28, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

LONGMEADOW — The Longmeadow School Committee will host an informational meeting to discuss the development of a more comprehensive Social Media and Electronic Communication Policy.

The meeting will take place on Nov. 30 in the high school’s Business Technology Center at 7 p.m.

School Committee member Michael Clark, who is charged with developing the policy regarding use of websites such as Facebook and Twitter in schools, told Reminder Publications that the policy created by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) was lacking and more specific guidelines for teachers who wish to incorporate the Internet and social media into their lessons are required.

The policy in question, he explained, does not address the use of social media by students, but rather focuses on acceptable practices for teachers wishing to utilize social media as an educational tool.

“The current policy that the MASC put out, which is the one that a lot of districts are using, is very cookie cutter. If you look at the policy, it’s less than a page,” Clark said. “If you look at the MASC’s policy, there are a lot of ‘nos.’ What are the ‘yeses?’ We want a policy that will encourage teachers to use technologies such as social media while letting them know what the limits are. Because we have this document that is so vague, we have teachers who are afraid to use social media as a teaching tool.”

The Longmeadow Public School District is one that has been fostering the idea of adding social media and elements of technology to curriculums Clark said, citing the district’s new iPad program and the district’s quest for a one-to-one student-to-computer ratio.

“We have one teacher in the high school who is implementing sort of a reverse-classroom where he posts a lecture online that the kids watch at home, then at school, the students do what normally would be homework,” he said. “The biggest thing that is lost in a lot of these discussions is that there is real educational value to these sites.”

However important this technology is, he added it is crucial that very specific guidelines in a document that can be adjusted as technology changes must be adapted in order to protect children from inappropriate behavior.

Clark said the School Committee is taking a different approach to the development of this policy than it has with those it has created in the past.

“Typically, after a policy is written, it is released to the public for comment for 30 days,” he said. “With this policy, we’re asking for public input ahead of time.”

Clark said he hoped for a strong turnout of parents in order to gain feedback and perspective on the issue.

“This is a topic that hits home,” he said. “If I was a parent, I would have concerns and I would want to know that the School Committee was being proactive.”