IJNDB-PRC3 HPS Social Media Guidelines Public

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Policy IJNDB-PRC3

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 HOPKINTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE POLICY
HOPKINTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

I. Purpose.

This document establishes guidelines for the creation and use by the Hopkinton Public Schools, its schools, departments and/or employees of the Hopkinton Public Schools’ social media sites for Work Related Purposes (including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter) as a means of conveying Hopkinton Public Schools’ information to its citizens.

The intended purpose behind establishing Hopkinton Public Schools’ social media sites is to disseminate information from the Hopkinton Public Schools, about the Hopkinton Public Schools to its citizens.

The Hopkinton Public Schools have an overriding interest and expectation in deciding what is “spoken” on behalf of the Hopkinton Public Schools on its social media sites.

For purposes of this document, “Social Media” is understood to be content created by individuals, using accessible, expandable and upgradable publishing technologies, through and on the Internet. Examples of Social Media include Facebook, Twitter, Google+, blogs, and LinkedIn. For purposes of this document, “Content” includes comment, information, articles, pictures, videos or any other form of communicative content posted on Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites.

II. General Procedures:

A. The establishment and use by any Hopkinton Public Schools’ school, department or

employee of Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites are subject to approval by the Superintendent or his/her designees and the Technology Department. Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites shall be administered and monitored by the Technology department and system administrators jointly approved by building principals or individual department heads and the Superintendent or designee, with notification to the Hopkinton Public Schools’ Technology staff and the Superintendent or designee.

B. Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social media sites should make clear that they are maintained by the Hopkinton Public Schools and that they follow the Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media procedures.

C. Wherever possible, Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites should link back to the official Hopkinton Public Schools’ website or department web pages for forms, documents, online services, and other information necessary to conduct business with the Hopkinton Public Schools.

D. Staff are required to create separate, professional Social Media accounts using their Hopkinton email addresses. Staff should not use personal accounts to communicate with parents or students. 

E. The Technology staff will occasionally monitor content on Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites to ensure adherence to the Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media document and the interests and goals of the Hopkinton Public Schools.

F. The Hopkinton Public Schools reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this Social Media document or any applicable laws, rules, regulations or policies. Any content removed based on this Social Media document should be retained by the site administrator who removed it for a reasonable period of time, as well as information about the time, date, and identity of the poster, when available.

G. This Social Media document must be displayed to users or made available by hyperlink on the district website.

H. The Hopkinton Public Schools will approach the use of social media tools as consistently as possible, district wide.

I. The Hopkinton Public Schools’ website will remain the Hopkinton Public Schools’ primary and predominant Internet presence.

J. All Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites shall adhere to applicable federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations and policies.

K. Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites are subject to Massachusetts public records and record retention laws, rules, regulations and policies. Any content maintained in a Social Media format that is related to Hopkinton Public Schools’ business, including a list of subscribers, posted communication, and communication submitted for posting, may be a public record subject to public disclosure. The department site administrator will maintain records in accordance with Massachusetts public records and record retention laws, rules, regulations and policies.

L. Comments or other content on topics or issues not related to Hopkinton Public Schools Business or within the jurisdictional purview of the Hopkinton Public Schools may be removed.

M. Employees representing the Hopkinton Public Schools via Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites shall conduct themselves at all times as representatives of the Hopkinton Public Schools in accordance with all Hopkinton Public Schools’ rules, regulations and policies.

N. This Social Media document may be updated from time to time and amended at the discretion of the Hopkinton School Committee and the Superintendent of Schools.

 

III. Content document.

A. As a public entity, the Hopkinton Public Schools should abide by certain standards, including those standards detailed below, to serve all its constituents in a civil and unbiased manner.

B. The intended purpose behind establishing Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites is to disseminate information from the Hopkinton Public Schools, about the Hopkinton Public Schools, to staff, students and their families and citizens of Hopkinton.

C. Content perceived as containing any of the following, but not limited to, inappropriate forms of content shall not be permitted on Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites and is subject to removal and/or restriction by site administrators, the Superintendent of Schools, or their designees:

1. Content not related to the original topic or to the business of the Hopkinton Public Schools, including random or unintelligible comments; 2. Profane, obscene, violent or pornographic content and/or language; 3. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, traits historically associated with race, color, national origin, sex, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, religion, age, family status, military status, or source of income. 4. Defamatory or personal attacks; 5. Threats to any person or organization; 6. Content in support of, or opposition to, any political campaigns or ballot measures; 7. Solicitation of commerce, including but not limited to, the advertising of any business or product for sale; 8. Conduct in violation of any federal, state, or local law, rule or regulation; 9. Encouragement of illegal activity; 10. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems; 11. Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as, but not limited to a copyright, of any party; 12. Promotion of grants without prior approval of the Superintendent or designee; or 13. Any other content deemed inappropriate by the Hopkinton Public Schools.

 D. Content regarding a student shall not be posted on any Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media Site unless there is a signed Hopkinton Public Schools’ Photo agreement on file at the student’s school for the current school year that has been signed by the parent/guardian of the student and/or by the eligible student authorizing the display, publishing, distribution or exhibition the student and/or his/her name, image, likeness, spoken words, student work, performance and movement, in any form on the Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media Site.

E. Content posted by a member of the public on any Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media site shall be the opinion of the commentator or poster only, and publication of content does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the Hopkinton School Committee and/or Hopkinton Public Schools, nor does such Content necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Hopkinton School Committee and/or the Hopkinton Public Schools.

F. The Hopkinton Public Schools reserves the right to deny access to Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites to any person who violates the Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media document, at any time and without prior notice.

G. Site administrators shall monitor Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites for content requesting responses from the Hopkinton Public Schools. Site administrators may direct such requests to the appropriate Hopkinton Public Schools’ administrator and/or department for response.

H. Site administrators shall monitor content posted on Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media sites for Content in violation of this Social Media document.

I. When a Hopkinton Public Schools employee responds to a comment, in his/her capacity as a Hopkinton Public Schools employee, the employee should do so in the name of the Hopkinton Public Schools’ school or department, and the employee shall not share personal information about himself or herself, or other Hopkinton Public Schools’ employees except as required for Hopkinton Public Schools’ business, and shall not share personal and/or student record information about Hopkinton Public Schools’ students in accordance with the requirements of federal and state student record laws and regulations.

J. Content posted to any Hopkinton Public Schools’ Social Media site must comply with that site’s terms and conditions, and the Hopkinton Public Schools reserves the right to report any violation of those terms to the site administrator so the site administrator may take appropriate and reasonable responsive action.

 

Adopted from Cambridge Public Schools

 

Legal References:

 

Cross Reference:

 

Procedure References: