P1233 Staff Use of Social Media Platforms

District employees are prohibited from privately or directly communicating with any student through any Social Media Platform except as allowed by this policy.  No student may be required to use a Social Media Platform for any assignment or activity.

Administrative Implemental Procedures

1. Definition
   1. A “Social Media Platform” is any online website or application that permits a person to become a registered user, create an account or profile for the primary purpose of creating, sharing, or interacting with user-generated content that is publicly viewable.  This definition excludes 
      1. Any online website or application whose primary purpose is educational;
      2. Any board-approved platform that is owned, licensed, or under contract to the school district; requires a user account; allows communications to be monitored, archived, retained, or audited in compliance with policy or law; is accessible to parents or guardians; and is used by employees in accordance with policy;
      3. Email;
      4. Direct messaging services that only share messages between a sender and a named recipient and does not display or post messages publicly or to users not identified as recipients by the sender of the message; and
      5. any online product or service that does not have school-specific features or identifiers and the predominant purpose is to post educational materials, news, resources and user comments, or other interactive functionality that is incidental to such predominant purpose.
   2. “Official School Purposes” means the broadcasting or posting of public, one-way communications that pertain to school functions, activities, or events.  “Official School Purposes” does not include private communications, direct communications, or two-way communications with any student, including comment-based conversations or any other two-way exchange of individualized messages with a student.
2. Uses of Social Media Platforms
   1. The board or its designee may approve specific Social Media Platforms by employees for Official School Purposes.
   2. Employees are strongly discouraged from “friending” or otherwise connecting with any student through a personal account of such employee on any Social Media Platform.  All communication with a student through a Social Media Platform by a district employee, regardless of whether such communication occurs through a personal account of such employee, is subject to this policy. 
3. Other Online Platforms
   1. Employees may communicate with students through district approved platforms that are not Social Media Platforms, provided such use complies with board policy and applicable law. 

Administrative Responsibility: Information Services and Technology

New Policy:  July 2026

Download P1233