Head teacher's attempt to cracking down on social media use by parents

[TamaraHiddlestoned]

Does anyone have experience of a primary HT trying to limit parents' discussion of school standards & behaviour on social media?
Our HT wants to prevent any mention of the school or staff by any parent & in any context.
Aside from the impracticalities of this, and assuming that no laws are broken, does the HT actually have any power to do this?

Thanks for helping me to understand!

[notthebees]

Perhaps you'd like to give us an example of your previous statement regarding LA's searching social media and prosecuting parents.

[mrz]

Now if I named names I would be opening myself to action by the LA

[a7mints]

LAs are searching for these type of posts in an effort to clamp down ...seems to be quite successful

But how can they 'clamp down'? what form does it take?
The LAs don't own parents, they don't own Facebook

[Longlost10]

We had a parent given an ASBO once, some time ago, for what they were saying about the school on face book. We have had other police involvement at other times, not sure what the outcome was for the parent, but the cyber bullying stopped.

[mrz]

https://schoolleaders.thekeysupport.com/pupils-and-parents/engaging-parents-and-carers/resolving-issues/parental-online-abuse-of-schools-advice-and-recourse/

[mrz]

http://www.thewave.co.uk/news/local/parents-warned-about-abusive-facebook-posts/

[Mistigri]

too many parents are posting things that are defamatory, abusive, potentially libelous, a breach of privacy or something that is best dealt with directly via the school and not on a public forum.

You can't defame an institution, only a person.

I don't really understand why it is OK to criticise governments and local councils and hospitals on FB, but not schools. Criticism of a named individual is inappropriate but legally I don't think there is much that can be done if the criticism is reasonable and well founded.

Criticism does not = bullying.

[notthebees]

That link is about inaccurate comments and online abuse which (quite rightly) should be removed and action taken.

But if the comment made is accurate, then presumably the school/LA shouldn't be able to take any action.

[CauliflowerSqueeze]

I take a PP point that schools are public institutions and so why can't people complain publicly about the service as you would a bin lorry.

However, schools are in the business of looking after and educating children. As soon as children feel there is a gap between their parents' viewpoint and the school's viewpoint, things get very difficult. We are a public service, yes, but we rely on a supportive partnership with parents. And when there are problems they are better raised privately. As soon as complaints are aired on FB, their kids think and start to say "my mum thinks the school is shit. You can't tell me what to do" etc. The bond is broken. Because the relationship you have with your child's school and teachers is normally more important than the relationship you have with the council and their refuse service.

It's a consumer society, and with websites like ratemyteacher.com it's hardly surprising some people feel they can say as they please.

[a7mints]

That guide is a pile of horseshit MrZ. It doesn't point out that a defamatory statement must be portrayed as one of fact, not one of opinion which nearly all the time FB posts will be .Furthermore a defamatory statement must cause quantifiable financial loss.Furthermore if it is a bout a school in general it is not targetting an individual.Finally if it is true then it is not defamatory.
That link to the primary school FB problems seem to be about abuse so completely different and irrelevant to this discussion.

[mrz]

If you're willing to risk a judge agreeing with you ...your choice

[Youarenotprepared]

There is a FB group for parents in which people ask stuff like what is the homework for X class. This is monitored but I can't say I've ever seen anything nasty on it.

The teachers all have protected twitter accounts which we can follow to see photos etc of the kids.

The school has a policy re photos. We have 2 levels of consent, the first is to allow photos to go on the locked down twitter accounts and displays in the school and the second is to allow them to also go on the schools public twitter feed/website/prospectus.

Parents are allowed to take photos at school events but are NOT allowed to put them on social media as the school has some vulnerable children. This is stressed frequently (at any events where parents may take photos) and we have been informed that if anyone breaks this rule then photos will be banned. So far I've not seen or heard of anyone breaking it.

We are encouraged to talk to the school if we have issues and they do make it easy to do so.

[notthebees]

You are scaremongering mrz. Schools and LAs do not have the authority to control what parents discuss on social media.
It is quite right that posts which are abusive, threatening and inaccurate should be challenged, but a HT or the LA do not have the authority to prosecute parents for making accurate statements or to shut down general discussion.

[BeatrixBurgund]

youarenotprepared
That sounds like the school are quite proactive and positive in their use of Social Media. It's a good example to set the kids.

I think schools are right to say 'please raise this directly with the school rather than openly on social media' and parents should stick to that agreement. It's only going to work though, if the school actually responds to the parent. If the school dismisses the concerns of the parent, then of course they are going to complain - either at the school gate or online.

[AskBasil]

Hmm.

"Take it up with the school directly" is a way of saying "take it up in a place where you have no power and they hold all the cards".

Social media is a great leveller, which is why so many institutions feel uncomfortable about it. The poster who told the story about the over-priced uniform is a case in point; as she said, the school was in the habit of ignoring parents who individually "took it up with the school directly". They can't ignore a load of people on social media.

Yes there will be lunatics who use social media inappropriately. But treating all parents as if they are going to be those lunatics, when you have no power to ensure their compliance, is not going to work in the age of Facebook et al. The fact that the school takes this approach, tells you quite lot about their ethos and attitude. Partnership my arse.

[ChickenSalad]

Control-freak head. I don't think it's on to name and bitch about people on social media but a frank discussion about a new school policy? Absolutely.

[ChickenSalad]

They can't ignore a load of people on social media.

Exactly, and I think this is actually very important when some academy chains ride roughshod over the wishes of parents with very little redress possible.

[nooka]

Generally the advice by social media experts is to monitor relevant sites closely and respond when critical comments are made in a way that tells the critical person that you have listened to their complaint and give them a way to take things forward in a constructive way.

This school seems to have missed the message. They cannot prohibit parents from talking about the school as they don't have the power to control parents. Sure if there is libel they can threaten lawsuits and if there is bullying they can go to the police, but that's about it.

It's foolish to try and make rules that you can't enforce. Better to talk to people about how their posting can potentially cause issues for others and to make sure that everyone knows how to raise their concerns directly with the school.

Oh and why should your parents posting on Facebook have any greater effect on a child than your parent saying the same things directly to them? Primary aged children shouldn't be on Facebook in any case, but I doubt that angry parents are just going to post there. I expect that they tell their friends and family about their unhappiness which their children are much more likely to hear

[exLtEveDallas]

I've been a member of 3 school FB groups, and the only thing I've really got out of them is how daft many parents are when it comes to believing everything their children tell them!

The stories I have read that bear no relation to what actually happened are legion, and the stuff that some people get upset about beggar belief.

They have some use - lost kit, non-uniform days, letters home. But I do think the 'moderators' need to be more on the ball and quicker to delete the dross.

[BeatrixBurgund]

AskBasil
yes, that's why the speaking to the school directly is the first thing that parents should do. It doesn't mean they should never post on social media, just that the first step is best taken directly with the school.

If the issue isn't resolved, then a constructive and non-abusive discussion online could be a way of gathering support from other parents.

[AskBasil]

"that's why the speaking to the school directly is the first thing that parents should do"

Sorry, what's why?

Bit confused, what are you referring to?

[LadyConstanceDeCoverlet]

Lots of primary schools here have a contract parents have to sign agreeing to this , similar to a homework contact for the kids.

Home-school contracts are completely unenforceable in legal terms.

[Dilligaf81]

Surely the adult thing would be for the HT to remind parents that social media isn't a tool to bully teachers and if anyone has a problem to come to themine. Parents to not be docks and slate teachers and just use it for those what homework is it moments?
Seems a heavy handed response but it may be to a particular incident.