FILE: GAMIA
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND STUDENTS
The St. Tammany Parish School Board shall require that all communications between employees and students be appropriate and in accordance with state law. All electronic or any other communications by employees to students at any time shall be expected to be professional, acceptable in content to any reasonable person, and limited to information that is school-related or is acceptable to both student and parent.
All electronic communication, including electronic mail, by an employee of the St. Tammany Parish School Board to any student enrolled in a school under the jurisdiction of the St. Tammany Parish School Board, shall use a means provided by or otherwise made available by the School Board for this purpose. All such communication shall be relative to the educational services provided to the student. The School Board shall prohibit the use of any means to electronically communicate with a student that is not related to such educational services, except communication with an immediate family member if such communication is specifically authorized by the School Board. The Superintendent shall be responsible for developing, maintaining and implementing administrative regulations and procedures addressing employee electronic communications with students.
The School Board recognizes the limitations of its communication system and the convenience associated with employees utilizing their own personal electronic communication devices for relaying information and assignments to their students. The School Board shall permit its employees to use their own personal electronic communication devices for communications between the employee and the employee’s students, provided the communications are for an educational purpose and the communication is timely reported to the building administrator.
Any electronic communication made by an employee of the St. Tammany Parish School Board to a student enrolled at any school under the jurisdiction of the St. Tammany Parish School Board or that is received by an employee from a student enrolled at any St. Tammany Parish public school using a means other than one provided by or made available by the School Board shall be reported by the employee, in a manner deemed appropriate by the School Board, to the building administrator within one (1) week of the communication. The approved means of electronic communication with students shall be: School Board authorized email, School Board sponsored teacher websites, school websites, School Board provided phones and other electronic communication that is approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee. Records of any such reported communication shall be maintained by the School Board for a period of at least one (1) year.
The School Board may authorize a school principal, or his/her designee, to permit an employee at the school to contact one or more specifically identified students enrolled at the school and be contacted by such student or students using a means other than one provided by or made available by the school, provided the employee has requested and received permission from the principal, or his/her designee, to do so and has provided documentation in writing to the principal, or his/her designee, stating the purpose or purposes for such contact. Such purposes may include but need not be limited to necessary communications relative to extracurricular activities, student athletic activities, community-based youth activities such as scouting, and faith-based activities such as a youth group sponsored by a religious organization.
If an employee is attending an education-related trip, function or event with students at which electronic communication with students is reasonably necessary for coordination of the trip, function, or event, for the safety of the students, or for some other reasonable purpose, and the electronic communication will or may occur over a period of time not to exceed seven (7) days, then the employee may obtain written permission from the principal or site administrator, in advance of the trip, function, or event, to communicate with student via electronic communication. In order to exercise this option, a parent’s written permission to communicate with a student shall be obtained in advance of the trip, function, or event.
DEFINITIONS
Electronic Communication includes any direct communication facilitated by voice or text-based telecommunication devices, or both, computers, as well as those devices that facilitate indirect communication using an intermediate method, including but not limited to Internet-based social networks. It shall also include transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature in whole or in part by wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical system and pertains to both personal and School Board issued devices.
Electronic mail – the transmission of text-based information or communication by use of the Internet, computers, a facsimile machine, a pager, a cellular telephone, a video recorder, or any other electronic device or means sent to a person identified by a unique address or address number and received by that person.
Computers – pertains to any and all computers.
Social networks – locations on the Internet where users may interact with other users -- examples are Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and other social networks sites available on the internet.
Improper or inappropriate communications – any communication between employee and student, regardless of who initiates the communication, that may be viewed as derogatory, sexual or lewd in content, threatening or harassing, discriminatory, simple fraternization, or suggestive in nature.
Educational Services – direct and indirect classroom instruction, as well as extracurricular activities provided and/or authorized by the Superintendent or his/her designee.
NOTIFICATION
The School Board shall ensure that, at the beginning of each school year, each employee, student, and parent, or other person responsible for a student’s attendance, be notified of the provisions of this policy and any related administrative procedures, guidelines, or practices regarding communications between employees and students.
The parent or other person responsible for a student’s attendance shall also be notified of his/her right to request that his/her child not be contacted through electronic communication by any school employee unless the purpose of such communication is directly related to the child’s educational services and is sent to and received by more than one student at the school.
INAPPROPRIATE COMMUNICATIONS
The School Board is aware that the reputations and careers of students and educators have been damaged due to inappropriate communications between parties. Therefore, it is the intent of the St. Tammany Parish School Board to make all employees and students aware of the expectations and procedures of the School Board in regard to proper use of all telecommunication devices and computers if used to communicate with one another. The policy is not intended to limit the use of technology as an effective teaching tool.
In addition to reporting communication to or from students not made through the means provided by the School Board, employees shall report to their supervisor at the first opportunity available, any student-initiated communication that may be construed as inappropriate.
Employees shall be required to comply with all School Board policies, administrative regulations, procedures, and guidelines established regarding direct communications with a student, and any failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Extreme circumstances may constitute willful neglect of duty. Should an employee’s failure to comply also violate state or federal law, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall report such violation to the proper authorities.
Violations
Any violation of this policy shall be immediately investigated by the employee's supervisor, in accordance with School Board policy. The investigation shall include dates, the name of the person reporting the allegation, and the specific allegation made.
The supervisor shall meet with the employee to document his/her response to the allegation. The employee shall be required to cooperate fully with the investigation.
All information of the investigation shall be provided to the Superintendent and the human resources manager by the supervisor.
The School Board shall prohibit retaliation by any of its employees against anyone who files a report of an alleged violation. This prohibition shall extend to the alleged violator of this policy and/or third parties, who directly or indirectly retaliate an individual reporting a violation.
Violations of this policy or any implementing regulations or procedures may result in discipline of the employee up to and including termination of employment
MANDATORY REPORTING
Nothing in this policy shall prohibit or deter the mandatory reporting requirements in cases of suspected abuse/neglect as provided for in policy JGCE, Child Abuse, state, and/or federal law.
PARENTAL OPTION
Parents shall be notified of the right to request that their child not be contacted through electronic communication by any School Board employee unless the purpose of such communication is directly related to the child’s education services and is sent to and received by more than one student. A form authorized by the Superintendent shall be provided to parents for this purpose. Contacting a student when the parents have opted out of individual communication with employees shall be considered a violation of this policy.
Adopted: January 11, 2018
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:40.3, 17:81, 17:239
Board minutes, 1-11-18
St. Tammany Parish School Board