Select Board debates draft social media policy, seeks narrower wording on personal use and Wi‑Fi access

The Plymouth Select Board reviewed a proposed update to the town’s social media policy and asked staff to clarify language on personal versus official use and to reconcile the policy with the town’s computer and information‑security rules.

Scott (Town Manager) presented a draft created with input from the town’s insurer and counsel and described it as more detailed than the current policy, including references to RSA 98 (public-employee freedom of expression) and possible disciplinary consequences for violations. Board members focused debate on where to draw the line between personal use and town-representative use and whether staff, volunteers and board members should need written authorization to post on behalf of the town.

Why it matters: Board members said the policy needs to protect employees and the town from liability while allowing pragmatic, professional uses (for example, a highway employee posting a road‑sweeping notice from a personal account for public safety reasons). They also asked that the policy clearly distinguish the guest/public Wi‑Fi network from secure town networks used for town-owned hardware and sensitive systems.

Key points from the discussion - Personal use while on work time. Several board members proposed a concise rule: prohibit personal social‑media use while on work time or when acting as an official representative of the town, but allow personal posts made off duty on private accounts. - Official accounts and authorization. The draft tied official social-media posting to supervisory authorization and the town computer policy; some members said that requirement should remain but be clarified so it is not unduly burdensome for routine communications. - Wi‑Fi and information security. The board asked staff to distinguish the public guest Wi‑Fi (for visitors) from secure networks that employees and committee chairs should use when handling town business; they directed staff to update the computer/security policy references accordingly. - Free-expression protection. Several members noted the need to preserve employees’ personal free-expression rights consistent with state law; the draft cites the relevant RSA but was not finalized.

Next steps Town staff will revise the draft to remove ambiguous language, explicitly prohibit personal social-media use while on work time or when acting as a town representative, and add a clarifying sentence about which Wi‑Fi networks are for guest use and which are for town business. A revised draft will return to the board for consideration at the next meeting.

Ending Board members asked Scott and the town attorney to produce an edited version and circulate an editable copy ahead of the next meeting so members can review proposed final language.