Parents: Do you know how your student is using social media?
Recently, a number of Linn-Mar High School students have been the subjects of Twitter messages that are false, vulgar, and degrading. A Linn-Mar administrator was impersonated as the author of a number of untrue Tweets. Several Linn-Mar staff members and students were debased by Tweets.
It's important to note that this act was also illegal. The statements made were defaming by malicious intent, and defamation in media using printed words or images is called libel. Many other students were followers of these exchanges and are now associated with the highly inappropriate, illegal messaging.
We are very concerned that students are participating in social media disregarding their own digital safety and jeopardizing their reputations, especially as it affects their futures. While following a Twitter account may seem like harmless fun, or even a game, it puts followers at risk for their reputations in addition to potentially being implicated in harassment or bullying situations. The use of social media to degrade others, impune reputations, or cause disruption in the learning environments by attacking the intellectual and emotional safety of staff and students is a clear violation of social mores, code of conduct, and Board Policy. Remember that nothing on the Internet ever goes away and that many people do utilize web searches to gather information on applicants.
Parents: Do you know how your student is using social media?
Katie Mulholland, Ed.D.more
