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Full-Text Articles in Elementary Education and Teaching
"Friending" Students On Social Media, Charles J. Russo
"Friending" Students On Social Media, Charles J. Russo
Educational Leadership Faculty Publications
The use of social media, particularly services such as Facebook and Twitter, has grown exponentially in recent years. Yet to date, relatively little litigation has arisen around the issue of teachers and other educators engaging in questionable or inappropriate use of social media when communicating with students. Even so, parental complaints do arise when teachers share inappropriate communications with students through social media. Consequently, as social networking continues to increase, school business officials and other education leaders should devise policies to help deal with this growing trend.
Given the widespread use of social media, this column examines emerging legal questions …
Beware: Teachers Who Blog, Charles J. Russo
Beware: Teachers Who Blog, Charles J. Russo
Educational Leadership Faculty Publications
A recent case from Pennsylvania, Munroe v. Central Bucks School District (2014), raises fresh questions about the free speech and expression rights of public school teachers as they use the Internet. In Munroe, when a board terminated a high school teacher’s employment for making controversial postings about her students and colleagues on her personal blog—postings that proved disruptive—a federal trial court rejected the educator’s claim that she was dismissed in retaliation for exercising her right to free speech.
Before reviewing the facts and judicial opinion in Munroe, it is worth noting that blogs (a term coined in the late 1990s …
Letters Of Recommendation: Honesty Remains The Best Policy, Charles J. Russo
Letters Of Recommendation: Honesty Remains The Best Policy, Charles J. Russo
Educational Leadership Faculty Publications
Amid concerns over teacher sexual abuse and other misconduct involving students— although involving a very small percentage of educators—boards should strengthen their policies for evaluating the qualifications of potential teachers, including those with experience, by requesting letters of recommendation after they complete initial state-mandated criminal background checks.
As crucial as letters of recommendation are in the hiring process, litigation demonstrates that some education leaders fail in their duty to safeguard children from sexual predators. Cases arose when officials provided undeserved positive reference letters for teachers who engaged in sexual misconduct with students—teachers who moved on to other school systems where …