Social Networking in Schools

Social networking can be a wonderful thing. Social networks promote communication among people who have lost touch with over the years. My wife, for instance, has gotten in touch with family members she hasn’t seen or heard from in thirty years or more. Social networking has its place. In my opinion, however, that place is not, at present, in the public schools. There are liability issues that can be dealt with on the adult level that cannot be addressed, or at least fully addressed, with minors. When adults behave irresponsibly, they can be held accountable. And unless students are going to be monitored to make sure there is no attempt to discredit, slander, or bully others, their access to social networks at school should be restricted or denied. At the very least, the content of the sites should be monitored. I do not believe there is enough supervision available to make student participation in social networks like MySpace and Facebook safe. Accordingly, a survey done by the National School Board Association in 2007 showed that 52 % of school boards prohibit the use of social networking in schools. However, that means that 48% of school boards surveyed must allow it. I spoke to the principal at Doddridge County High School, Dr. Gregory Kuhns, and was told that DCHS does not yet allow social networks to be used during school hours, but that many students have indicated that they use them on their own time.

The following is a list of references you may use to get more information about social networking in schools.

Andrews, R. (2007, April). Don't tell your parents: schools embrace myspace. Wired.com, Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/04/myspaceforschool

Snyder, T. (2007). Social networking: theirspace. edutopia, Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2007-school-social-networking

Oppenhuizen, K. (2007, July 27). Schools creating new rules for social networking policies. USA Today, Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2008-07-27-social-networks_N.htm

Magid, L. (2010, February 25). Social networking belongs in school. CNET News, Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10459983-238.html

Lefferts, J.F. (2007, January 25). Student survey sees risky use of internet. The Boston Globe, Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/news.education/k_12/articles/2007/01/25/student_survey_sees_risky_use_of_internet/