Social media safety : A Teacher’s Workplace? Scott Lyons

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act CHAPTER 37 Part 7: It shall be the duty of every employee while at work— (a)to take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/herself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work; and (b)as regards any duty or requirement imposed on his employer or any other person by or under any of the relevant statutory provisions, to co-operate with him so far as is necessary to enable that duty or requirement to be performed or complied with

Teacher Professional Standards 2012 Part two: personal and professional conduct A teacher is expected to demonstrate consistently high standards of personal and professional conduct. The following statements define the behaviour and attitudes which set the required standard for conduct throughout a teacher’s career Teachers uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school, by: treating pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, and at all times observing proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher’s professional position having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others not undermining fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs ensuring that personal beliefs are not expressed in ways which exploit pupils’ vulnerability or might lead them to break the law. Teachers must have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the school in which they teach, and maintain high standards in their own attendance and punctuality Teachers must have an understanding of, and always act within, the statutory frameworks, which set out their professional duties and responsibilities

How safe are you in the electronic workplace??? Where is your workplace?

Casework Examples: When a school was closed because of severe weather (snow), a Deputy Headteacher wrote on a friend’s facebook profile wall who worked at a different school, “School closed, yipee, another snow day!” This was reported to the Headteacher. Outcome: He received a Serious Reprimand.

Casework Examples: A member is criticised by a parent who posted “Mrs Jones is a rubbish teacher and favours other pupils over my daughter”. She responds stating that her daughter is difficult to teach and is very disruptive in class and that she’s a better teacher than the parent could ever be. This was reported to the Headteacher. Outcome: The member received a Serious verbal Reprimand but could have received a written warning

Casework Examples: A member in a secondary school was updating his facebook status during his PPA session. He was friends with a number of colleagues and pupil’s parents, one of which brought it to the Headteacher’s attention. Outcome: He received a Final Written Warning. Remember PPA is directed time!

Casework Examples: A member has been using a school tablet to a colleague during a staff meeting stating how ‘boring the staff meeting was’ and the Headteacher must ‘… have a small d**k.’ This was discovered by Headteacher when the staff tablets were collected in by the ICT Technician and staff s were trawled – all legitimately agreed to within Trust ICT policy.. Outcome: To avoid a first and final warning she agreed to resign by September

Casework Examples: A photo was posted and tagged on facebook of a member lying down drunk with a pen drawing over his face. This was seen by a parent and reported to the Headteacher as it didn’t set a good example to the pupils if they saw it. Outcome: The Head wanted to give a Verbal warning in relation to his conduct out of school but a Serious Reprimand was issued instead.

Casework Examples: A primary school teacher wrote as her status: “I’m going to get drunk tonight and find a man to ………” She had also publicly discussed sexual aids on her wall. She had security which meant only friends could see her status. This member had ex-pupils as “friends” – these pupils were 12/13 year olds. She was also “friends” with parents of current pupils. Outcome: She lost her job and could have been struck off, but, the NUT solicitor argued her case and she was given a reprimand by the NCTL at a Teacher misconduct hearing – nearly banned!

What can you do?

E-Safety – Do’s and Don’ts You Should: Be aware of the school’s and internet policy esp re school equipment not post information and photos about yourself, or school-related matters, publicly that you wouldn’t want employers, colleagues, pupils or parents to see. You should always consider that others could and would interpret what you post as being unprofessional and offensive keep passwords secret and protect access to accounts not befriend pupils or other members of the school community on social networking sites. (You should consider carefully the implications of befriending parents or ex-pupils and let school management know if you decide to do this) keep personal phone numbers private and not use your own mobile phones to contact pupils or parents use a school mobile phone when on a school trip

E-Safety – Do’s and Don’ts keep a record of your phone’s unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, keep phones secure while on school premises and report thefts to the police and mobile operator as soon as possible – NUT insurance not personally retaliate to any incident keep any evidence of an incident, for example by not deleting text messages or s and by taking a screen capture of material, including the URL or web address; Always use the school’s address to correspond with pupils, NEVER use your personal account be aware that if you access any personal web-based accounts via their school network, that these may be subject to the school’s internet protocol which could include monitoring and surveillance Join a Union! You can find all this information on the NUT website

Privacy Settings Check your privacy settings and amend them

Preview your page

Photo privacy 20. Picture tagging You can't prevent people from uploading and tagging pictures of you, but you can control who gets to see them once they're tagged. In the 'Things others share' section of 'Customise settings', select 'Custom' next to 'Photos and videos I'm tagged in'. Choose 'Specific people' next to 'Make this visible to' and set people or lists who you want to allow to see tagged images. Next to 'Hide this from', enter the names or lists that you want blocked from seeing your tagged photos.

Scott Lyons