A CNN article spotlighted a story from the Granite School District near Salt Lake City that has proposed a policy on banning faculty from becoming friends on Facebook with students. If the policy is passed, it will be the first of its kind in the entire state. Many have weighed in on the topic, from parents, students, and educators alike.
The Granite School District said they recognize the potential value of social networking, but they are also aware how it can lead to problems. "The reality is they're called social networking for a reason and when you're networking for social reasons, you should be doing that with your peers and children and teachers are not peers," said Ben Horsley, spokesman for the Granite School District. "Children should be interacting with their peers and teachers should be able to have some privacy and exclusivity of their own lives." While this debate is concentrated to just this district, it has potential to set a precedent for decisions made in other school districts and states. This leads to a few questions: Does being “friends on Facebook” with educators instigate problems between students and teachers that otherwise wouldn’t exist? Does the level of education (i.e. high school, college) have any impact on the social acceptance of communicating through social networking sites? The Granite School District is voting April 20th on the proposed ban, and the repercussions outcome of that decision is definitely one to follow in the future.
The story: http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-school-district-ban-facebook-faculty-students,0,4692736.story
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