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Board hears calls for strict staff-student social-media policy and consideration of classroom cell-phone limits
Summary
A board member urged the district to adopt a strict, zero-tolerance policy limiting staff communications with students on social media and to consider restricting student cell-phone use during instructional time; the board agreed to explore policy options and research legislative developments.
During other business on Sept. 8 a board member called for the Lake County Schools to adopt a strict policy restricting staff communication with students via social media and to consider stronger limits on student cell-phone use during instructional time.
The board member said the intent is to protect both students and staff; she cited a change in Kentucky law (noted by the board member as an example) that requires parental permission for staff to communicate directly with students via personal devices. Board members discussed the difficulty of drawing lines for staff who provide extracurricular support and noted that some teacher-facing systems used for visitor management and safety have ongoing subscription costs.
Board members asked staff to research options and to draft a recommended policy addressing staff-student communication via social media and appropriate limits on student cell phones during instructional time. Staff noted the district already limits unsupervised use during instruction and suggested the board consider implementation costs and any state legislative changes that might affect school policy.
No formal policy was adopted at the meeting; the board asked staff to bring back a draft policy for consideration.
