In the Workplace
Social Media Usage
#NotSoFast!
Do you believe that you have a First Amendment right to post anything you want on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages? Have you posted student pictures, party pictures, or rants about parents, students, co-workers, or administration?
If so, stop!
Here’s why: Educator free speech rights are fairly limited—your speech is only protected if you are speaking as a citizen on a “matter of public concern” and the speech does not disrupt the school environment. In the classroom, your First Amendment rights are even further limited because there you are speaking on behalf of your employer. Play it safe—don’t deviate from your curriculum and don’t discuss or espouse your personal, religious, or political views.
Educators should be extremely cautious in all online activities. One way to make online work-related connections is to look for sites devoted to your specific professional interests.
For personal pages, such as on Facebook, educators should stick to the Mom Rule—if Mom has a problem with your post, so do you.