Onslow County Schools committee previews employee social media policy, schedules December presentation

The Onslow County Schools Policy Committee on Nov. 18 reviewed a draft employee social media policy (Policy 7335) that the district intends to present to the full board for first reading Dec. 2 and return in January for final approval.

Brent Anderson, chief communications officer and the committee facilitator, introduced Policy 7335 as a new district policy intended to clarify staff expectations for personal and professional use of social media. "This is a new policy for Onslow County Schools," Anderson said, explaining the draft expands the definition of social media to include video-sharing platforms, messaging applications, professional networking sites, blogs, collaborative tools, gaming platforms with social features, learning-management systems with social components and emerging platforms, "including AI enhanced social tools and virtual reality social spaces."

CJ Granick, chief of human resources and student services, explained a substantive edit the committee added: the policy uses the phrase "written parental permission" when employees post images or communications involving students. "I prefer for us to have written permission," Granick said, adding written consent avoids ambiguity about whether a parent authorized a post and aligns the new rule with the district's staff-student relations policy. The committee agreed the explicit "written" requirement removes potential disputes over verbal or implied consent.

Board member Suzanne Long and others proposed clarifying the definitions for instant and direct messaging. Long recommended adding the term "chat" to cover real-time or near-real-time text conversations and direct messages. The committee agreed to include language such as "instant chat, or direct messaging" to improve clarity.

Committee members also discussed how quickly the policy will need review because of rapid changes in social platforms and artificial intelligence. A committee member noted such policies may require near-annual attention; Anderson said the policy sets “guidelines and guardrails so staff know expectations of what you should and shouldn't do.”

The committee approved putting the new policy on the board agenda as a first presentation at the Dec. 2 meeting and scheduled the policy for return in January for final approval.