Schools limit teachers on Facebook

Teachers cannot become friendly with students on Facebook and other social networking sites and can’t text or send them instant messages under a new policy in Dayton Public Schools.

Many Cincinnati-area schools have written policies forbidding teachers from having personal communications with students on the Internet in general or on social networking sites, but only a few specifically mentioned “friending” on Facebook in those policies. One exception is St. Ursula Academy in East Walnut Hills which is explicit: “Faculty and staff will NOT ‘friend’ a current student or former student under the age of 18 on social media.”

Three Rivers Schools in western Hamilton County also prohibits “fraternization between district staff and students via the internet, personal e-mail accounts, personal social networking websites and other modes of virtual technology.”

Oak Hills advises teachers against using social networks to communicate with students, but provides guidelines for teachers who ignore that advice, said Todd Yohey, superintendent.

Monroe, in Warren County, prohibits communication on social networks during the school day and while using the district’s network. The district advises staff of the issues that can occur with Facebook, texting and other forms of social networking.

In the Kenton County School District, teachers are recommended to follow the state’s policy, which says that teachers should not friend students, Assistant Superintendent Kimberly Banta said.

In the Campbell County Schools, a formal policy is not in place but staffers are encouraged not to friend staffers, said Juli Hale, the district’s director of community relations.

The Dayton district is one of many around Ohio that contacted the Ohio School Boards Association on the issue of teachers and social media, Sara Clark, the association’s deputy director of legal services, said Wednesday.

“It’s a hot topic for school districts right now, and we are getting more calls on it,” Clark said.

The Dayton Public Schools policy also prohibits teachers from responding to students’ attempts at communicating through any personal or professional accounts not approved by the district.

Teachers in Missouri have complained that a state ban there on teachers having private conversations with students over Internet sites will hamper their ability to keep in touch with students.

Missouri lawmakers approved the ban after more than 80 Missouri teachers lost their licenses between 2001 and 2005 because of sexual misconduct, the Dayton newspaper reported. Some cases involved exchanging explicit online messages with students.

A judge, concerned about free speech rights, has temporarily blocked the law from taking effect.

A Cincinnati attorney who specializes in media and First Amendment issues said much of the concern in Missouri focuses on whether the law goes too far – especially in prohibiting contact between teachers and former students.

“There are sometimes good mentoring relations that couldn’t continue if a student went on to college,” said Jack Greiner, who also represents The Enquirer.

He said Missouri is the only state he knows of that has handled the issue through statute, but it may not matter whether prohibitions are made at the state or local level.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone challenges this somewhere in Ohio,” he said.

Enquirer staff writers Denise Smith Amos, Michael D. Clark and William Croyle contributed.

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Google+ Users Sign On, But Not Staying

According to Experian Hitwise, Google+ users now spend an average of five minutes and 47 seconds per visit on the site. This duration isn’t dropping, but it’s not growing, either. Hitwise said time spent on the site peaked in the week of July 16, at five minutes and 50 seconds.

These numbers suggest that while some users applaud Google’s new service for having features that protect their privacy and for its video chatroom capabilities, Google+ has not yet caught on with social networking users.

Another part of the problem may be that Google+ is still in a limited, invite-only beta release. People are slow to embrace social networking sites if their friends aren’t using the site as well, and since millions more people still use Facebook, people for now are staying where their friends are.

Google+’s usage might also remain stagnant because it requires people to use their real names, or risk having their profiles removed. Facebook also encourages people to use their real names, but doesn’t really enforce that rule. Privacy advocates complain about Google’s stance on this issue, saying it could violate users’ rights, but Google says it will remain firm on the real-name issue.

Google had originally marketed the social network as being more privacy-minded because of the real names policy, and touted its Circles system as well, which helps users control who sees their posts.

However, Facebook last week rolled out new privacy measures, including the ability to separate information into group pages, meaning users can control who sees what posts.

Another problem with Google+’s lower numbers may be that the site is not yet open to celebrities or businesses. Part of Facebook’s success centers around its celebrity pages, and many businesses find they can promote themselves and earn money through the site.

Google+ may well attract some of its users to stay online longer through its new game offerings. Earlier this month, Google+ added a game service, including such popular offerings as Rovio’s “Angry Birds.” As people discover the games, they may not only stay online to play but invite their friends as well, which may help Google+ attract users likely to remain on the site longer.

Google+ reviews are mostly positive. However, it’s apparent from Hitmark’s numbers that while a lot of people have signed on for the social network, it still has a long way to go before it can truly challenge Facebook’s dominance.

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