Wednesday, 8th of February 2012
Facebook lands teacher in trouble
Another day, another million status updates and another person getting in bother over the misuse of Facebook.
This time it’s Elizabeth Scarlett, a 50-year-old teacher from Wales who has as been reprimanded after pupils were able to access her profile and viewed comments about drinking and parties.
At a disciplinary hearing at the General Teaching Council for Wales she was accused of 'grossly overstepping the line' by posting 'inappropriate and improper' Facebook comments. Although the panel admitted they could not prove it was her who had written the sexual comments, they still disciplined her because of her other posts, and she was handed an official reprimand which will stay on her records for two years - and will need to be disclosed to future employers. Oh dear.
Here at Viva, we look after the online reputations of a number of schools, colleges and universities, who all use social media. It’s a really useful communication tool, which is perfect for creating an online community for parents, teachers and students – if it’s used responsibly.
We advise schools to create a social media policy, in which every stakeholder knows how to use the tool effectively. We also suggest teachers are very careful when mixing their professional and personal lives in their use of social media, that’s what privacy settings are there for after all. But schools should counterbalance such a policy by setting up an official Facebook page to represent the school.
Students, families, and teachers are all going to use Facebook regardless of whether or not schools choose to do so. By setting up a separate Facebook page, schools can establish a controlled, professional presence that allows them to capitalise on this social space in many important ways, while still protecting their students.
Schools in need some more social media advice? Get in touch – we can help.
