Fired!

Recently on Twitter I read a few posts about a teacher fired because of her Facebook account. Over the years, educators have had to keep a high moral standing, and more recently their online persona's have been attacked. This particular teacher had images of her drinking while on vacation in Europe and a few cuss words, and a parent complained. Now the first thing I thought was, "why didn't she keep her Facebook profile private and not friend students?" I finished reading the article and found out that she did keep her profile private and did not friend students. So where was the leak?

What do you think? Should teachers be allowed to have a Facebook account? Should she be fired over her personal life that she did what she could to keep private? What are your thoughts on this topic?

Wait, before we get ahead of ourselves, this teacher is in Georgia, and Georgia has a law that prohibits teachers from posting photos of themselves consuming alcohol on websites. Now add that to the discussion. Even with her account being set to private, was she on grounds for firing?

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Permalink Reply by Linda A Brandenburg on November 12, 2009 at 12:09pm: Hmmmm this sounds like a case of rules are rules and they should be followed and not broken. If this teacher signed something upfront that made her aware that the State of GA prohibits teachers from posting pics of themselves consumin alcohol then private or not I would think it wasn't worth the risk.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kirsty Wertz on November 13, 2009 at 8:32am: Makes you think twice about the so-called privacy settings on facebook. Did they ever report on where the "leak" was? Was there a statement from facebook themselves, I wonder.

I recently read this blog post by Lee Wilson (a really smart guy in the ed tech world) which talks about how difficult it is to keep your personal and online identities separate.

So, in GA, does that mean teachers have to avoid social media to protect themselves from losing their job? Doesn't this conflict with the shift in technology and communications in the world today? Or does it simply mean the teacher should've refrained from sharing THAT piece of their personal identity with the world via facebook?

Interesting situation...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Danielle on November 13, 2009 at 9:25am: I posted this on my Facebook page as well, and an interesting thought came up. What if the teacher is at a party - maybe even a wedding- and someone takes a picture of him/her drinking, then posts it online? In Facebook, you can tag the photo and that photo will appear in anyone's profile that is tagged, visible by any friends allowed. Then what?

A lot of schools tell their employees that they can't have a Facebook account, or if they do, they are responsible for anything that comes out of it, reminding them that they are not protected by just being private.

A friend of mine just changed careers to a different division in law enforcement. The first day of class, they were all told to deactivate their Facebook Accounts. And I was told there are other professions that tell you the same thing.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kyle Lewis on November 13, 2009 at 12:23pm: I am currently working on my Masters in Educational Leadership and this subject has been brought up in various classes. Most of the responses have been negative about the use of tools such as Facebook or other social networks. I have always said that education is behind in its use of technology and this is a perfect example. Rather than forbid teachers to use the social networking tool, they should educate them on how to use it responsibly and how to teach students to use it responsibly. The use of online social networks are not going to go away. They are part of the students present and future. Should education not be trying to help use those tools available to them rather than ignoring them?

At one time computers and calculators where shunned in the classroom, today they are used on a regular basis, and often times required. I think the same will be said in the future about Social Networks and other technology that students are using today, that are being ignored in education.

Back on topic, I do not see how a teacher could be fired for a couple cuss words or pictures with alcohol posted on their site. Could they have been fired for having a beer at Applebee's with dinner?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Danielle on November 13, 2009 at 1:34pm: One of the reasons we chose Ning is because it allows you to have a whole new profile on the community you join. While I belong to several Nings, you can't see which ones unless I add a badge to my profile. You don't see my comments on other boards, photos I upload or anything else. Where as on Facebook, if I join the "Bon Jovi Fan Group" or "Not a Fan of Anything Group", it appears on my page and everyone can see. But on Ning, only the things that I do on THIS Ning is seen. I like that.

If it's part of their state law, and they are made AWARE of that law, then yes, they can be fired. I think this proves that more schools need to have a session on Social Networking at their schools, with the laws mentioned. At the same time, the laws need to be addressed and revised. I know many groups of teachers who meet once a month for a appetizers, margaritas or beers. Drinks at Applebees this Thursday? Be careful because anyone can take a picture and post it. Everyone with a camera phone is now part of the paparazzi, and teachers will have to tighten up their moral codes once more to the likes of a nun.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mary Creek on February 3, 2010 at 2:43pm: Absolutely not! A teacher should have the same civil rights as anyone else. It sounds like there may be more to the story, however.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Danielle on February 3, 2010 at 4:26pm: There's an article about this situation on ABC.

There are several blog entries out there about this topic. It sounds like the letter that came in declaring inappropriate behavior came from an anonymous person. The school or district did not verify that she had a student as a friend on her page, or any of the other pieces of information. The teacher does admit that she had a few of those photos, she NEVER friended parents or students, and that she did write that she was going to play a game with a foul word in the title of the game at some pub with her *insert foul word*. But again, her profile is private.

It would be interesting to get the whole facts from all three parties - the school district, the teacher and the anonymous tipster.; ▶ Reply to This