The district uses approved social media platforms/sites as interactive forms of communication. The District-approved social media platforms/sites are considered limited public forums. As such, the District will monitor posted comments to verify they are on-topic, consistent with the posted rules for use of the forum, and in compliance with the platform/site's applicable terms of service. The Board’s review of posted comments will be conducted in a viewpoint-neutral manner, and consistent with State and Federal law. Employees’ personal posts on the public platforms/sites are limited/restricted to matters of general public interest that are not related to the employee’s specific employment and wholly unrelated to the employee’s job responsibilities (i.e., matters where it is clear the individual is posting not in an official capacity, but simply as a member of the public). Employees are ordinarily not permitted to post personal comments on matters of general public interest because to do so could be misconstrued as a Board‑sponsored speech. District-approved social media sites shall not contain content that is obscene; is vulgar and lewd such that it undermines the school's basic educational mission; is libelous or defamatory; constitutes hate speech; promotes illegal drug use; is aimed at inciting an individual to engage in unlawful acts or to cause a substantial disruption or material interference with district operations, or interferes with the rights of others. The District may exercise editorial control over the style and content of student speech on district-approved social media if reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns. Staff or students who post prohibited content shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. The district is committed to protecting the privacy rights of students, parents/guardians, staff, volunteers, Board members, and other individuals on district-approved social media sites. District employees and volunteers are prohibited from posting or releasing confidential information about students, employees, volunteers, or district operations through social media, without appropriate consent (i.e., express written consent from the parent of a student, the affected employee or volunteer, or the Superintendent concerning district operations).
