Social networking sites a concern for Eastern Iowa schools

Social networking technology like Facebook and Twitter is causing concern for at least two Eastern Iowa school districts.

School administrators and teachers worry it might be a breeding ground for inappropriate student-teacher relationships.

”You really, really, have to be careful about your own interactions on the web,” explained Tom Yates, President of Iowa City's Education Association.

Yates says teachers misusing a Twitter or Facebook account could get into trouble or worse.

”Teachers have lost their jobs in Iowa to inappropriate content or connections,” said Yates.

Linn-Mar superintendent Katie Mulholland says her district is considering a new policy to better define how employees use social networking sites.

”We want to make sure that our children have as many safeguards around them for their learning and any errors that they might make with their behavior,” explained Mulholland.

Mulholland said Linn-Mar is working to identify when technology is beneficial for student learning –like blogs – compared to purely social communication tools like Facebook.

Linn-Mar is looking at alternate ways to fill the communication needs between faculty and students along with the school and parents.

Mulholland says one such option might be to create district-controlled software to fill communication needs, which she hopes would then dissuade people from going to external social networking sites.

Iowa City's School district might make changes too, but not to that extent.

”We don't want to shut it all down, we just want to make sure everything is positive and healthy,” explained Lane Plugge, superintendent for Iowa City School District.

Plugge says technology is changing the means of establishing relationships.  He does not agree with restricting any school employees from using social networking sites both at school and at home.

“Hate to see us go that far,” Plugge said.

Yates says stricter policies need to be implemented to help students better understand what's appropriate.

”They don't always understand what the right boundaries are,” he said.  “They have to be told.”

Yates tells teachers to avoid social networking all together.  He does.

Linn-Mar will possibly announce new social networking policies in June.  Iowa City has not formally started discussions, though Plugge said “it's probably time…to look at those policies.”