Should teachers and students be Facebook friends?

“For anyone who says that a teacher shouldn’t curse in front of students, I say they haven’t been on a football field or in the dugout in a baseball game,” he told the newspaper. “If you could go incognito in those settings and somehow gather audio, you might be surprised at what is said.”

Doctoral research at the University of Southern California found at least 41 districts nationwide that have approved social media policies.

Under a policy approved by the school board in Muscogee County, Ga., in November, school employees are “strongly discouraged” from allowing students access to personal websites. Districts in Tampa, Fla., and Norton, Mass., also have wrestled with the issue.

Nancy Willard, author of “Cyber Savvy: Embracing Digital Safety and Civility,” believes school districts should set up their own online environments and use safe social networking tools like Gaggle.net and ePals.com, which have been designed for educational purposes. There is also Edmodo, a Facebook-like network for teachers and students.

See also:

Education groups weigh in on digital media use policies

Developing sound social media policies for schools

Fake Facebook identities are a real problem for schools

The problem with Facebook, she said, is that it was set up for socializing.

“On Facebook, flirting is encouraged,” she said. “You are encouraged to post your relationship status and your relationship interests. That’s not appropriate for a relationship between teachers and students.”

James Giordano, a guidance counselor at a Bronx high school, said that he makes a habit of waiting about four years after a student has graduated to friend one and that he’s glad the district is discussing the issue.

“I hope that they distinguish between personal Facebook pages and pages that are professional,” he said. “It would be a shame if Facebook altogether was banned from use by educators, because it’s a valuable resource.”

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