College and school honor codes need to be reviewed to determine if they adequately address eprofessionalism issues. Most codes were developed before social media, so they may lack appropriate languages to address issues that arise or are exposed by social media. In the unfortunate circumstances of serious problems with a student and the code of honor is invoked, the code should clearly refer to the concepts of eprofessionalism. Otherwise, the fact that the college or school relies on the honor code can be legally challenged, as the code does not include eprofessionalism issues. As with other legal matters, due process protection should be considered. Consultation with an institutional advisor on this can be beneficial. However, social media tools can be great ways to build and maintain relationships between faculty members, staff, schools, students, and alumni. They have the potential to improve communication and improve relationships with the college`s “family.” At the same time, the openness of social media can lead to ethically and legally questionable confrontations when one or more “family” members provide inappropriate information. Educators must take certain steps to protect themselves and the reputation and well-being of their students. A: The answer to this question largely depends on where you are and whether the social media account was created as a public forum. To date, 14 states have passed laws – known as “New Voices” laws – that provide specific free speech protection for student media.

Most of these laws define “student media” broadly and would likely protect students from censorship of social media accounts linked to their journalism programs. We saw this when Twitter permanently banned President Trump from using its services after his tweets violated the company`s policy against the glorification of violence. Nothing in the First Amendment prohibits a private company from developing and enforcing its own policies regarding the content of its website, whether applied against a student journalist or the president of the United States. 1.2.5. Every teacher is required by law to report any signs of abuse or neglect they observe in accordance with the National Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act 1974 (Garner, 2000). Q: Can public high school officials dictate what we post on school-related social media accounts, such as our school`s newspaper Instagram page? Interpreting character, professionalism and other personal characteristics from the information contained in social profiles is a complex task. While online characters may give clues about a person`s true personality, they may or may not be a completely accurate reflection. The main ethical questions are: “Who decides what criteria an online character is evaluated and what exactly are the criteria?” For example, how would a person use a Facebook profile to determine if a person is showing signs of alcohol or drug abuse; What would reflect this on the profile? What defines an indication of alcohol abuse? Is it the number of photos with alcohol, belonging to alcohol-related groups, a certain combination of these, or other criteria? Another question that is almost impossible to answer with certainty is: “How does an online persona reflect professional skills and attitudes?” The second case of discussion also involved a university student engaged in experiential learning. A student teacher had disguised photos of herself as a pirate and apparently posted drunk on MySpace. The school district, which classified her as an employee rather than a student to evaluate her, excluded her from the class before the end of the semester. The university where she was enrolled reclassified some credits and awarded her a degree in English instead of the educational degree that would have qualified her for certification.

The student teacher argued that classifying them as employees limited their freedom of expression compared to what they would have been in a class of students. 1.3.3. Teachers will keep parents informed of what is happening in the classroom and will not deny parents access to certain teaching materials. The widespread use of social media applications such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter has reshaped the legal and ethical environment of higher education. Social communication has traditionally been considered private; Now that much of this information is posted online for the public, it is possible to better understand students` attitudes, opinions and characters. Teachers and pharmacy administrators can grapple with the myriad of ethical and legal issues surrounding social media communication and relationships with and between students. This article attempts to clarify some of these issues by providing an overview of relevant legal aspects and court cases related to social media. In addition, 5 fundamental ethical issues are identified and discussed.

The article concludes with recommendations for pharmacy professors regarding preparing for and resolving potential legal issues related to social media. Educators should also assess the risks associated with the following activities: A number of fundamental rights stemming from the U.S. Constitution may be involved in social media use cases – freedom of expression, search and seizure issues, privacy rights, and due process denial. A brief overview of these areas can provide a basis for discussing topics in the context of social media. A final category of ethical issues related to social media concerns the nature of social networking relationships. Faculty members who become Facebook “friends” with students is a somewhat controversial topic. Does this blur the line between a faculty member and a student? Even if a faculty member is very conscientious in what is posted, they may be aware of the personal information of student “friends” who commit illegal acts, commit transgressions of professionalism39 or show signs of depression or anger that could potentially cause harm to that particular student or others. While there may be benefits to social media relationships, excessive exposure to the other`s personal life can lead to negative outcomes for either. At a minimum, every faculty member should consider the impact of connecting with students via social media.

For direct assistance or if your question has not been answered on this page, please contact the SPLC`s free legal hotline. Q: Can we post photos we take for the yearbook or diary on a social media page? Q: We made a collage of screenshots of the students` Instagram photos. The accounts are public. Is it legal for us to publish this collage? 1.3.4. Teachers shall act as educators and moral examples, but shall not share or assert their personal ethical convictions with pupils. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution creates 6 distinct rights for citizens with free speech: A: Yes. Once you post something online, it`s normal for everyone (school officials, current or potential employers, law enforcement officials) to dig up and review the privacy settings of your social media platform. Search warrants or other special permits are not required. Of course, just looking at your social media posts is a (allowed) thing; Punishing them for this content is a very different (big and complicated) Pandora`s box that courts and lawmakers continue to struggle with. The Fifth Amendment could be included in such cases when school officials ask a student about the content of social media communications.

This amendment also creates due process rights. This amendment to the Constitution states: First of all, Bree said that one of my students was here and looked at my page, which is fine. I have nothing to hide. I`m over 21 and I don`t say anything that can hurt me (in the long run). Plus, I don`t think they would bend so low to ruin my future. So, bring love! I think some students will send me a message when I am no longer their official teacher. They keep asking me why I won`t apply there. Do you think it would hurt me to tell them the real reason (or who the problem was)? The right to privacy is an additional consideration.