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Fairport trustees debate turning off comments on district social media to protect students
Summary
Trustees discussed disabling comments on district social media accounts to reduce targeted hateful speech and misinformation, emphasizing student safety and the need to publish a clear plan for alternative feedback channels; no formal policy change was made at the meeting.
The Fairport Central School District Board discussed whether to disable public comments on district social media accounts after trustees said comment sections had been used to target students and to spread misinformation.
The policy discussion stemmed from a policy-committee prompt about social media administration. One board member said the district’s communications function should "communicate, inform, and promote transparency" but noted the district’s single communications staffer cannot constantly moderate comment streams. "One way to frame it is we were looking at social media as a method to share information, not to receive feedback," the trustee said, noting alternative feedback channels already exist on district pages.
Several trustees argued student safety justified restricting comments. One trustee described posts that attacked students during an event as the "bridge too far" and supported turning off comments; another trustee said the district should explain the change publicly and provide alternative feedback methods, such as a dedicated email address or direct-message routing to the communications specialist. An ex officio student member supported restrictions, saying students typically repost content rather than use comments to show support and that disabling comments would not provoke widespread student backlash.
The board did not take a formal vote on the matter during the meeting. Instead, trustees asked the superintendent and communications staff to draft regulatory language and an implementation plan (including whether the district account change would extend to school accounts), and to return with a recommendation and a public-notice plan.
Why it matters: Trustees framed the discussion as balancing transparency with student privacy and safety. Disabling comments would change how the district engages online and could reduce visible harassment on district channels; it would also require clear public messaging and maintained channels for legitimate community feedback.
Next steps: The superintendent was asked to develop implementation recommendations, including whether individual school accounts would follow the district account decision and how the communications team would route incoming emails or direct messages.
