GBEE – Staff Use of Social Media

1. Policy Statement

The Board supports the use of technology to communicate for educational purposes. However, District staff are prohibited from inappropriately communicating with students online or from engaging in conduct on social media that violates the law, District policies or procedures, or creates a substantial disruption to the school community and/or work environment. Staff whose conduct violates this Policy may face discipline and/or termination consistent with the District's policies and procedures and negotiated agreements, as applicable. Social media is defined as any form of online publication or presence that allows interactive communication, including, but not limited to, social networks, blogs, internet websites, internet forums, and wikis. Examples of social media include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

2. General Provisions

Confidentiality and security of privileged information regarding students or personnel must be maintained when using social media platforms. Staff members shall not access, receive, transmit, or retransmit material regarding students, parents/legal guardians, District employees, or District affairs that is protected by confidentiality laws. Staff members shall not post any personally identifiable student information including names, videos, and photographs on any school-based, personal, or professional online forum or social networking website without the written informed consent of the student's parent/legal guardian. Posting inappropriate, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, biased, derogatory, disparaging, or bullying comments toward or about any student, employee, or District-associated person on any website is prohibited and may be subject to discipline. Associated persons includes, but is not limited to, parents, volunteers, consultants, contracted employees, coaches, before and after care program providers, and vendors. Staff members are responsible for the information they post, share, or respond to online. All existing and future policies and behavior guidelines currently applicable to staff apply to the online environment including, but not limited to, Board Policy GBEB - Staff Conduct.

3. Social Media for Professional Use

Social media for professional use is defined as a work-related social media activity that can be either school based (i.e., a District administrator establishing a social networking page for his/her school, or a teacher establishing a social media site for his/her class) or non-school based (i.e., a District office establishing a social networking page to communicate with the larger District community). Staff members may use social media for professional reasons within District guidelines to supplement classroom instruction and promote communications with students, parents/legal guardians, and the community concerning school related activities. When using social media for professional reasons, the highest possible privacy setting must be utilized. Parents must be notified of all classroom social media use. Additionally, a building principal or designee must review and approve in writing any social media accounts used for professional reasons. The building principal or designee shall have administrative access to social media sites. If online commenting is enabled in a social media page, the comments must be moderated and monitored routinely for inappropriate language and content. As with any other instructional material, the application/platform and content shall be appropriate to the student's age, understanding, and range of knowledge. Staff members are expected to maintain the highest professional standards when interacting with students, parents/legal guardians, and the community concerning school related matters through the use of social media for professional purposes.

4. Use of Social Media for Personal Purposes

Staff members must keep personal social network accounts separate from work-related accounts. Use of District logos or images on a personal social media website by staff is prohibited. Staff members are prohibited from communicating and connecting with students (i.e. friending) through their personal social media platforms. The Board recognizes that staff members may have familial and pre-existing social relationships with parents/legal guardians. Staff members should use appropriate professional judgment when they have a dual relationship with students and their parents/legal guardians to avoid violating this Policy, the appearance of impropriety, and the appearance of favoritism. Staff members should utilize privacy settings to control access to personal networks, webpages, profiles, posts, digital media, forums, fan pages, etc. Staff members who post information on social media that is considered hate speech or includes inappropriate personal information such as provocative photographs, sexually explicit messages, and inappropriate use of alcohol or drugs may be subject to discipline if students, parents, or other employees obtain access to such information.

5. Reporting Violations

Staff members will notify and discuss concerns with their building administrator or supervisor whenever they suspect or question whether their own or another staff member's social media conduct is inappropriate or constitutes a violation of this Policy. Students and their parents/legal guardians should notify the building principal or Chief Human Resources Officer if they believe a teacher, administrator, or other staff member may be engaging in conduct that violates this Policy. Depending on the specific circumstances of the allegations or suspicions, staff members may have a mandatory duty under state law and Board policy to report the violation(s) as child abuse. Persons reporting in good faith regarding alleged violations or suspected violations of this Policy shall not be subjected to retaliation in any form.

Cross References:	AC – Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportunity Interpersonal/Human Relations
	EHC – Networked Electronic Information Resources
	GBEB – Staff Conduct
	JLF – Reporting Child Abuse/Child Protection
	JLF-R – Reporting Child Abuse/Child Protection
	JRC – Student Records/Release of Information on Students
	JRCB – Privacy and Protection of Confidential Student Information

Legal References:	C.R.S. § 22-32-110(1)(k) (Power to Adopt Conduct Rules)
	C.R.S. § 19-3-301, et al. (Reporting Child Abuse, Procedures, and Penalties)
	20 U.S.C. § 1232(g) (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act)
	20 U.S.C. § 6301 (Children's Internet Protection Act)

Adoption Date: May 10, 2021