Teachers advised to unfriend students on Facebook
May 6, 2011
Kristin Rushowy
EDUCATION REPORTER
Teachers who are already connected to students via Facebook should unfriend them as soon as possible, says the Ontario College of Teachers.
The college was responding to queries from the Ontario Principals’ Council about the recent advisory on the use social media.
Principals had asked for clarification on two issues: whether the advisory covers existing online friendships, as well as the hours it is acceptable for teachers to email students.
The college’s registrar, Michael Salvatori, will meet with representatives from the principals’ council to discuss administrators’ role in helping teachers use social media.
“When we are communicating with students, face to face or in more traditional ways, we are trying to replicate that in other media,” Salvatori has said.
In April, the college issued a comprehensive guide for teachers about navigating social media that recommended they not accept Facebook or other friend requests from students, and never communicate by email using a personal account.
They were also told not to text students and to only communicate electronically during the same hours they’d feel comfortable calling a student’s home.
Many school boards are looking at rules around social media that won’t hamper educators who wish to use it in the classroom. Those rules could also establish possible sanctions not already covered under the code of conduct.