Weston Students Don't Friend Teachers

Spencer Kelley, a senior at Weston High School, would friend his swim coach on Facebook if he were allowed to.

"It's inappropriate. There are things on Facebook that teachers may not want to see and things students don't want teachers to see," said Kelley. "I don't do anything wrong. Some people may want to hide pictures of drinking."

The Board of Education is currently looking at a draft of a social media policy for school personnel, said Dina Levin, chair of the Weston school board's policy committee. The policy, as written, does not allow teachers and current Weston students to be friends on Facebook.

"Facebook is a good way to keep in touch after school. During school, there's no gain or loss," said Kelley.

The reason for the policy is to stop problems before they happen, said Levin. The appearance of a special relationship between a teacher and a student can cause jealousy among students and possibly lead to the assumption of inappropriate behavior, said Levin. A policy for student use of social media is being developed. The draft policy was presented to the full board on April 25 and will be considered for approval at the board's next meeting in May.

Do you think teachers and school employees should be friends with students on Facebook? Email your comments to shenry@mainstreetconnect.us.

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