FILE: GAMIA
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND STUDENTS
The Iberia Parish School Board shall require that all communications between employees and students be appropriate and in accordance with state law. All electronic or any other communications by employees to students at any time shall be expected to be professional, acceptable in content to any reasonable person, and limited to information that is school-related or is acceptable to both student and parent.
All electronic communication, including electronic mail, by an employee to any student enrolled in a public school in this school district relative to the educational services provided to the student shall use a means provided by or otherwise made available by the school system for this purpose and the School Board shall prohibit the use of all such system means to electronically communicate with a student for a purpose not related to such educational services, except communication with an immediate family member if such communication is specifically authorized by the School Board.
Any electronic communication made by an employee to any student enrolled in a public school in this school district or that is received by an employee from any student enrolled in a public school in this school district using a means other than one provided by or made available by the school system shall be reported by the employee in a manner deemed appropriate by the School Board. Records of any such reported communication shall be maintained by the School Board for a period of at least one (1) year.
The School Board may authorize a school principal, or his/her designee, to permit an employee at the school to contact one or more specifically identified students enrolled at the school and be contacted by such student or students using a means other than one provided by or made available by the school, provided the employee has requested and received permission from the principal, or his/her designee, to do so and has provided documentation in writing to the principal, or his/her designee, stating the purpose or purposes for such contact. Such purposes may include but need not be limited to necessary communications relative to extracurricular activities, student athletic activities, community-based youth activities such as scouting, and faith-based activities such as a youth group sponsored by a religious organization.
DEFINITIONS
Electronic Communication includes any direct communication facilitated by voice or text-based telecommunication devices, or both, computers, as well as those devices that facilitate indirect communication using an intermediate method, including but not limited to Internet-based social networks. It shall also include transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature in whole or in part by wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical system and pertains to both personal and School Board issued devices.
Electronic mail – the transmission of text-based information or communication by use of the Internet, computers, a facsimile machine, a pager, a cellular telephone, a video recorder, or any other electronic device or means sent to a person identified by a unique address or address number and received by that person.
Computers – pertains to any and all computers, both personal and school computers.
Social networks – locations on the Internet where users may interact with other users -- examples are Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and other social networks sites available on the internet.
Improper or inappropriate communications – any communication between employee and student, regardless of who initiates the communication, that may be viewed as derogatory, sexual or lewd in content, threatening or harassing, discriminatory, simple fraternization, or suggestive in nature.
NOTIFICATION
The School Board shall ensure that at the beginning of each school year each employee, student, and parent, or other person responsible for a student’s attendance, be notified of the provisions of this policy and any related procedures or practices regarding communications between employees and students.
The parent or other person responsible for a student’s attendance shall also be notified of his/her right to request that his/her child not be contacted through electronic communication by any school employee unless the purpose of such communication is directly related to the child’s educational services and is sent to and received by more than one student at the school.
INAPPROPRIATE COMMUNICATIONS
The School Board is aware that the reputations and careers of students and educators have been damaged due to inappropriate communications between parties. Therefore, it is the intent of the Iberia Parish School Board to make all employees and students aware of the expectations and procedures of the school system and the School Board in regard to proper use of all telecommunication devices and computers if used to communicate with one another. The policy is not intended to limit the use of technology as an effective teaching tool.
In addition to reporting communication to or from students not made through the means provided by the school system, employees must report to their supervisor at the first opportunity available, any student-initiated communication that may be construed as inappropriate.
Employees shall be required to comply with all policies, procedures, and practices established by the School Board regarding direct communications with a student, and any failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Extreme circumstances may constitute willful neglect of duty. Should an employee’s failure to comply also violate state or federal law, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall report such violation to the proper authorities.
REGULATIONS
All electronic or other communications by employees to students at any time shall be expected to be professional, acceptable in content to any reasonable person, and limited to information that is school-related or is acceptable to both student and parent.
Employees shall be required to have a clear understanding and adhere to School Board policy concerning the use of personal and/or School Board-issued cell phones and computers, as well as any other telecommunication or electronic device.
Employees are required to report to their supervisor at the first opportunity available, any student-initiated communication that may be construed as inappropriate in content as outlined in this policy.
Any employee who has a legitimate need to communicate with students by any means of electronic and/or telecommunication devices other than a means made available by the school system shall be required to request from their supervisor the necessary form for approval. The supervisor will approve or deny the written request as indicated on the form with his/her signature. If permission is denied, the supervisor shall retain the denied request for documentation. If approved, the employee shall be given the approved form. The employee shall then make copies of this approval and shall proceed with obtaining the required signatures from students and parents. The signatures indicate that all parties who sign are in agreement with the stipulations listed on the form. The completed forms shall be kept on file by the supervisor for the duration of the school year in which it is signed.
If at any time, a parent wishes to rescind approval of this agreement, the parent must contact both the approving supervisor and the employee. The request shall be in writing, dated, signed by the parent, and given to the supervisor to void the agreement. The supervisor will file the parent request with the original authorization form for documentation. At this point in time, the employee/ student shall be required to cease all telecommunications with one another.
VIOLATIONS
Any violation of this policy shall be immediately investigated by the employee's supervisor in accordance with the procedures outlined in policy GAMC, Investigations. The investigation shall include dates, the name of the person reporting the allegation, and the specific allegation made.
The investigation shall include the supervisor meeting with the employee to document his/her explanation of the allegation. The employee is required to cooperate fully with the investigation.
The supervisor, upon completion of the investigation, will then forward a copy of all the information to the Superintendent and the Personnel Director.
Sanctions of the employee may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
a written reprimand by the supervisor;
revoking any or all of the approved employee-student contact forms of the employee if deemed necessary by the supervisor, or, if requested by any parent granting such approval;
the employee being placed on leave with or without pay by the Superintendent; or,
the employee being recommended for dismissal, in accordance with Board policy.
New policy: September, 2009
Revised: December 19, 2012
Revised: August 5, 2020
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:40.3, 17:81, 17:239
Board minutes, 12-2-09, 12-19-12, 8-5-20
Iberia Parish School Board