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Clark, residents discuss schools’ social media policy

Date: 12/5/2011

Dec. 5, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

LONGMEADOW — School Committee member Michael Clark hosted a meeting at Longmeadow High School to discuss the creation of a new Social Media and Electronic Communication Policy on Nov. 30.

Clark asserted that the current policy, which was created by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, focuses on what teachers should not do with social media and could deter some educators in the district from considering the use of new technologies in the classroom.

“This policy doesn’t lend itself to innovation and doesn’t speak to the current realities that these social media networks are being used,” he said. “We need to recognize that the proliferation of social media has an educational value. The policy needs to encourage safe and proper uses for online interactions.”

Clark cited the district’s current iPad program as one way the Longmeadow Public Schools are encouraging the use of new technology and said a policy that reflects that same level of encouragement should be adopted.

He explained that the current policy is beneficial in that it defines inappropriate behaviors, encourages the use of district accounts, but it does not define what appropriate behaviors are and it also doesn’t support the district’s acceptable use policy.

Clark suggested that a new policy needs to address three major subjects: people, technology and legal issues. He said guidelines should exist not only for teacher-to-student interaction, but also staff-to-staff, staff-to-parent, staff-to-public and Parent-Teacher Organization communication.

Technology guidelines, he said, need to address acceptable uses of district equipment.

The policy must legally be designed to protect staff and students and the Longmeadow Public Schools name, while being sensitive to free speech as well as privacy and confidentiality, he said. Issues regarding copyright laws and public records were also a concern.

Clark explained that once a policy is created, it would be presented to the School Committee and town counsel for review. It would also be posted to the Longmeadow Public Schools website for 30 days for review and comment from the public. Once implemented, the policy would also be reviewed and updated once or twice a year in order to stay relevant with changing technologies.

Resident Andrea Chason praised Clark, the School Committee and Longmeadow Public Schools for looking into the creation of a policy and said she hoped the policy could be a learning tool, rather than guidelines for punishment

“Having seen policies that were created with the best intentions go awry, I’m glad to see a component illustrating the pros,” she said. “What I would like to see is the consequences [for violating the policy] not be zero tolerance and not be punitive, but rather as an opportunity for learning.”

Still others expressed apprehension toward the use of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the district due to concerns regarding safety and the kinds of information those sites gather and could possibly sell.

Nancy Moriarty, a parent who is also a teacher at Wolf Swamp Road Elementary School, cautioned against allowing situations where students who are not allowed to use social networking by their parents feel pressure to use such sites in order to keep up with classwork.

“I really feel you shouldn’t take that decision out of parents’ hands,” she said.



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