Social sites not in local school policies

Social networking continues to gain popularity and with its expansion comes an increased awareness of what’s appropriate and what isn’t.

Locally, the community has been riveted by the story of a teacher at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. The school system allegedly received an email from a concerned parent over photos that were taken of teacher Ashley Payne while on vacation. The photos were allegedly accessed through Payne’s Facebook page and in them, she was holding alcoholic beverages.

Payne resigned on Aug. 27 after being confronted about the matter, but has since filed suit against the Barrow County School System.

In Jackson County school systems, the focus has been less on teachers and more about student access to sites, officials said.

There are concerns about regulating what employees can post on personal websites. Many view strict control over Internet use as violations of privacy.

It’s something Jefferson City Schools Superintendent John Jackson believes is a fine line.

“There is a balance within this matter that must be recognized and maintained,” he said.

In all Jackson County school systems, users – teachers and students - are subject to the monitoring of their online activities. It’s aimed at protecting minors from accessing harmful material.

None of the policies in the Jackson County systems mention social networking.

“It can clearly become one more area where balancing the Constitutional rights of an educator with appropriate professional conduct can come into play," Jackson said. “This issue has been on the table for years. When you get right down to it, it seems to me that the same principals that have always applied still apply.”

Similarly, the Commerce City School System also lacks any specific social networking guidelines.

Superintendent Mac McCoy doesn’t see the immediate need to amend the system’s policy.

Jackson County’s policy was adopted in 2005. The policy is similar to that of Commerce and Jefferson. It does have an area specifically intended for staff, but it doesn’t discuss social networking.

Of the three systems, each mentions that an employee could lose their job over Internet indiscretions, but these indiscretions involve the access of material that is obscene, pornographic or harmful to minors and is accessed while on school property.