PROFESSIONAL USE s Have Responsibilities Do Not Just Shoot Me an

s Have Responsibilities  Teachers have a responsibility to communicate with parents, and other professionals when necessary.  is a common communication tool that can be easily misused unintentionally.  It is important to remember to keep messages about students professional in tone and content, especially since the message itself is considered a legal document and can be used in a court of law.

Resist the temptation to use the school for personal use. Personal Use

s as Legal Public Documents  When teachers use to communicate with individuals it needs to remain professional because it is a legal document.  It is possible s may be needed by a court, especially in cases concerning Special Education law.  Lawsuits in 2007 and 2009 (Koopman) established as a corporate document that is admissible as evidence. use by public school districts is also recognized as legal public documents in some cases (Julka).

The need to know basis for  Avoid sending a message to a group unless every member of that group actually needs the information you are presenting. Also, when replying to a large group only use the "Reply to All" button if everyone on the group list needs to know your reply,  Avoid String s  If a string is inappropriate request removal from the string  Always start a new and only reply to the individual party who needs to know.

No surprises please:  Use the Subject line to let people know what your is about. Using a good subject line also helps people organize and find your later.

Blind Carbon Copy  One of the major dangers by misusing the "BCC" or blind carbon copy line in a is that if you send an out to six people, and blind carbon copy someone, then if someone on the "To" line hits the "reply to all" button, there is a chance with some districts that the "reply to all" will go to the "BCC" person.

DON’T SHOUT AT ME:  Using all capital letters in an is understood to be the same as shouting.

There are no secrets:  Please keep in mind that you are a representative of an organization when you answer at work. Every you send using your work account could be classified as a “public record.” If you don’t want your slightly off-color happy birthday to your cousin in Alaska to be published in the local newspaper don’t send it using your work account.  Also, be careful about s to other education staff about students or their parents, since these can be used during legal action. It is easy to send a quick, informal response to a colleague, but anytime these s contain reference to a student the family has a legal right to request copies.

Never when angry or emotional:  Once you send an message you can’t take it back. Before you send a fiery response to that parent who just insulted your mother, take a breath, relax and think it through. Here's a rule of thumb: Never anything to someone that you wouldn’t be willing to tell them in person.

Implied Tone  Think carefully about the implied tone of the message, especially if ing about concerns or disciplinary action. It is easy for a reader to misinterpret the tone, often taking it as harsher than intended. Consider how it will be received or have a colleague read the message before sending.