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4040 - Social Media Policy

Last Updated Date: 07/15/2024

Adoption Date: 11/20/2017

Revision History: 03/18/2019, Reviewed 12/14/2020

Purpose

The primary purpose of any Omaha Public Schools social media account established pursuant to this policy shall be to communicate information from and about the District or School to school families and the larger community. The District encourages staff and faculty to create and use social media where appropriate for school related news, school activities and in-class projects. This technology can provide both educational and professional benefits, including preparing District students to excel in college, career and life. District social media efforts align with the District’s following guiding principles: safe, healthy and engaged students, accessible transparent and two-way communication and engaged and empowered parents and families.

Definitions

Social media is defined as any form of online content or presence that allows two-way communication, including, but not limited to, social networks, blogs, internet websites, internet forums and wikis.

District-Sponsored Social Media Account (School-Sponsored Account) – a social media account, regardless of platform, that is operated by or on behalf of a District employee or School Board member, or their designee in his/her professional capacity, or on behalf of a school sponsored organization or group, and that is designed to further the educational mission of the school district by communicating with members of the school district community and the general public.

Approved Social Media Sites for Omaha Public Schools

Platforms designated by District Communications are the only District approved social media tools for Board members, school administrators, teachers and staff for the purpose of sharing news about District events, school activities and classroom projects.

Employees Use of Professional Social Networking Sites

All Board members, faculty and staff using social media must have separate professional and personal accounts. Using your personal social media account as your District professional account is prohibited. All official Omaha Public Schools social networking sites must be approved by District Communications and the employee’s building supervisor/administrator.

Employees should adhere to the following policies when using social media for work, which are consistent with the District’s workplace standards on harassment, student relationships, conduct, professional communication, and confidentiality:

  • An employee should not make statements that would violate the District’s policies concerning discrimination or harassment (see Policy and Regulations, Policy 1200 and Policy 4003):
    • Employees are prohibited from making comments or posting any material (including photographs or video) that are sexually explicit, offensive, unethical, illegal, discriminatory, vulgar, confidential or plagiarized.
    • The employee must uphold the District’s value of respect on social media and avoid making defamatory statements about the District or School, its employees, its students or their families.
  • Teachers who use social networking to interact with students for educational purposes must create “groups” or “pages” to interact with students without giving them access to their personal account. Please see detailed Omaha Public Schools Social Media Guidelines.
  • For classroom social media use, please be aware that according to federal guidelines under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) social media platforms generally require everyone to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account.
  • Photos and names of individual students are never allowed without written permission from each child’s parent(s) or guardian(s). This information can be found in the Student Information Packet, Public Information Consent For Media Release form and in infinite campus.
  • Employees must be in compliance with the provisions of the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974,” (Federal P.L. 93-380) and the Nebraska State School Law (79- 2,104) (see Policy and Regulations Section 5202).

Social Media Account Details

A social media administrator is assigned by the building principal and is responsible for monitoring and posting content to social media pages for the school. All social media administrators should provide social media school account information (i.e. username/email and password) to District Communications. In the event of an emergency and/or if the social media administrator separates from the District, the account can easily be transferred and monitored.

Employees Use of Personal Social Networking Sites

While the District does not monitor personal social media use, employees should be mindful that they are always a representative of the school district within their community and should represent themselves accordingly. The District respects the right of employees to use social media networking sites outside of work but it is important that employees’ personal use of these sites do not damage their image, the District or their School’s reputation, its employees, students or their families. Employees should exercise care in setting appropriate boundaries between their personal and public online behavior, understanding that what is private in the digital world often has the possibility of becoming public, even without their knowledge or consent. Friending or following students, on their personal accounts is prohibited.

Copyrights and Fair Use

All employees are responsible for compliance with copyright laws and for preventing unauthorized use or copying of copyrighted or proprietary materials. Copyrighted or proprietary materials shall include, but not be limited to:

  • computer software and documentation
  • audio and video recordings
  • books, newspapers, and other printed material bearing a copyright notice

Creating and Maintaining Official District Networking Sites

All District-Sponsored Social Media Accounts must be approved by District Communications and should adhere to the following standards:

  • Logos and graphics may only be used in a professional capacity. When using social media in a professional manner, all images and colors should match the organization’s branding guidelines.
  • The District’s social media account(s) for public communications shall include the display of the District’s or School’s name; and, where technologically feasible, the main account page or specific communications sent through the account shall include the URL of the official District or School website and the telephone number of the Teacher Administrative Center (TAC) or School.
  • Sites must be diligently monitored by designated social media administrators to ensure that information displayed fits within OPS social media guidelines and is appropriate to the subject matter of the page.

District-Sponsored Social Media Account operators may not block users from accessing social media posts on the account.

Social Media Policy - Political Endorsements

In keeping with the provisions of Policy 4018, Omaha Public School employees may not utilize District provided social media channels to engage in political activity. District employees are required to fully comply with the District’s Social Media Policy, any other social media guidelines and local, state and federal laws. If the District believes that an employee’s activity on a professional or personal social networking site, blog, or personal website may violate the District’s policies, the District may request that the employee cease such activity. Depending on the severity of the incident, the employee may be subject to disciplinary action.

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