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Warren County board continues review of social‑networking guidelines for employees; no final vote
Summary
Board members and staff discussed proposed regulations limiting personal employee‑student social media contacts and clarifying age and parental‑consent rules; the item remains at second reading and staff will seek legal review and stakeholder input before a later reading.
The Warren County School Board on Oct. 1 continued its review of proposed guidelines on employee use of social networking and other internet communication, leaving the item at second reading for further refinement.
Board members voiced support for clearer restrictions on personal employee‑student relationships on social media, with several urging language that would forbid employees from establishing personal social‑networking relationships with currently enrolled WCPS students on their private accounts. Board members and staff discussed distinguishing between official, school‑approved accounts (for athletics, clubs or class communications) and personal accounts. Several members suggested that official accounts be required to be clearly labeled and administered as division‑approved channels.
The board asked staff to add explicit reference to federal age requirements, noting the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and reminding principals that services collecting personal data from children under 13 require verifiable parent consent. Board members proposed requiring parent/guardian consent for any employee‑initiated electronic communications with minor students and suggested that such consent could be folded into activity permission slips.
Other discussion points included whether the policy should use broader language such as “internet communication” to capture gaming chat, YouTube comments and other emerging platforms; whether bullet points should be converted to numbered paragraphs for easier citation; and whether the district should maintain an indexed list of approved, official accounts. Staff said they would collect input from administrators and extracurricular leaders and forward suggested edits to the division attorney for review ahead of a third reading. The board signaled willingness to take additional readings if needed to finalize the policy.
No formal vote was taken on policy language during the meeting.
