T wo years ago, I received my first email from a staff member alerting me to a teacher’s Facebook page. She was concerned that
the teacher had posted photos of
herself and other teachers with drinks
at a local bar. At the time, I didn’t
share her concern. I felt that teachers had every right to enjoy their own
social lives after school, and it was
nobody’s business what they did when
they weren’t on school grounds. And I
had no desire to become the Facebook
police at my school. I told the reporting staff member that if she thought
any students were in danger because
of the postings, she should contact the
administrators, with the implication
that she should otherwise let it go.
I have since learned a lot about
how school districts cope with
teachers and online social networking sites. Here’s what I found out
and what I recommend to teachers
who want to have an online social
life and hold on to their jobs.
The Perils of Posting
I knew that teacher discipline over
social networking practices was becoming more common, but I had no
idea just how common. Here are just
a few of the cases that a quick internet
search unearthed:
• An unidentified elementary school
teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, listed her hobbies as
“drinking” and “teaching chitlins
in the ghetto of Charlotte” on her
Facebook page in 2009. She also
posted photos of herself and others
in sexually suggestive positions. She
was suspended with pay because
the school district determined that
the comments affected her ability to
interact with students and parents,
stating, “Clearly, when there is poor
professional judgment, it impacts
the teacher’s ability to do their job.”
• In 2009, Beaver Dam Middle School
(Wisconsin, USA) teacher Betsy
Ramsdale posted a photo on her
Facebook page of herself pointing a
gun at the camera. She was placed
on administrative leave for what
“appears to be poor judgment.” The
community was split. One parent
commented, “I don’t think it’s appropriate. I’m not sure why this would
be on the computer at all,” while
another parent offered, “I don’t see
anything wrong with it. She’s on her
time to do what she wants.”
• In 2009, Sonya McNally was suspended from Humberston Comprehensive School in Grimsby, England, for posting a private message
on her Facebook page that one class
of students was just as “bad” as another class. This offended another
teacher, who complained. McNally
was suspended for “bringing the
school into disrepute.”
• Gloria Gadsden, a sociology professor at East Stroudsburg University
in Pennsylvania, USA, had a few
bad days in January 2010 and
decided to vent on her Facebook
page. As a result, she received an
indefinite suspension from the
university. Gadsden wrote, “Does
anyone know where to find a very
discreet hitman? Yes, it’s been that
kind of day....” On a different day,
she offered that she “had a good day
today, DIDN’ T want to kill even one
student :-). Now Friday was a different story.” This ordeal led Gadsden
to comment, “I honestly have to say
that people have too much faith in
the internet. I think the internet can
be as dangerous as it is wonderful.”
Gadsden was eventually reinstated.
• Last year in Pennsylvania, Brownsville High School Spanish teacher
Ginger D’Amico hosted a bach-elorette party with other teachers
that included a male stripper. One
of the attendees posted a picture
of the event on her own Facebook
page. Unfortunately for D’Amico,
she was the only teacher identifiable in the photo. It was brought to
the attention of her administrator,
and she was suspended for 30 days,
which was eventually reduced to 19
days. Other teachers in attendance
received letters of reprimand. After
the American Civil Liberties Union
became involved, D’Amico was able
to reach an out-of-court settlement
with the school district.
