Social Media, Public Schools, and the Law

Social Media, Public Schools, and the Law

By R. Stewart Mayers

Monograph No. 94 in the ELA Series

Paperback, 76 pages (October 2015)

ISBN-13: 978-1-56534-171-5

Explores the slowly growing body of case law that governs K-12 student and employee usage of social media, as well as the options available to school officials charged with handling the thorny issues often associated with this technology. Topics include social media devices and programs, cyberbullying, legal issues, and more. The monograph also provides guidelines for formulating, introducing, and monitoring social media policies.

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Social Media and Public Schools
          Introduction
          Free Speech: What is Protected?
          Student and Teacher/Employee Speech: Free Speech Jurisprudence
          Free Speech and Technology

Chapter 2: Understanding Social Media
          Devices and Social Media
          Smartphones, Tablets, and Social Media Usage

Chapter 3: Public School Employees and Social Media
          School Employees and Social Media: The Law
          Teacher Speech and Social Media
          Analyzing Free Speech Claims Involving Social Media
          Figure 1: Free Speech Analysis - Social Media
          Procedural Due Process Claims
          Substantive Due Process Claims
          Equal Protection Claims
          Freedom of Association Claims
          Social Media and Discovery: What Is Relevant?
          A New Frontier?

Chapter 4: Students, Social Media, and the Law
          Introduction
          Students and Social Media
          Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, SnapChat, Yik Yak, Secret, Whisper, Ask.fm
          Other Social Media Platforms
          Students, Social Media, and the Law
          Student Speech and Social Media
          Fake Social Media Accounts
          Fake Social Media Profiles and the Free Speech Claims
          Threats
          Cyberbullying
          Types of Cyberbullying
          Fourth Amendment Claims: To Search or Not to Search Student Devices
          Conclusions and Recommendations: Protecting Students and Students’ Rights in the Age of Technology

Chapter 5: Public School Districts and the Governance of Digital Speech
          Policies for Addressing Student Usage of Social Media
          Involving Stakeholders
          Addressing Access/School-owned Equipment and Networks
          Acceptable Use
          Providing Training
          Due Process
          Protecting Student Speech Rights
          Developing Policies for Employees
          National Labor Relations Act
          Social Media and the Hiring Process

Final Thoughts 

Table of Cases