Should schools regulate Teachers’ use of Social Media

In a recent occurrence, a teacher from Central Bucks East High School has been reprimanded and might even lose her job for blogging about her students. This is the latest news of a teacher having to bear the consequences of social media.

She however, is not likely to be the last teacher to be out of a job because of social media. There are plenty of teachers and aspiring teachers who grew up in the first generation using social media for their entertainment. Last year, at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur in Villanova, a teacher was dismissed for blogging about a student’s classroom presentation. These two examples are just a few in a list of teachers and professors who have found themselves in deep trouble for just expressing their views about their students through social media.

Educators on the other hand, who use social media, argue that if done right, it can provide immense benefits. Students, they say, should learn to use such tools proficiently and responsibly. Some districts have maintained guidelines for social media usage and this includes allowing teachers to make friends with students on Facebook. But school boards could also ban the use of social media as it breaches school regulations or confidential obligations.