N.Y.C. Outlines Social Media Guidelines for Educators

Principals urged to scrutinize online activity

New guidelines released last week by the New York City education department make it clear that social networking has a place in education, but they call for restrictions on how educators and students interact in such spaces.

The guidelines recommend prohibiting students and teachers from being “friends” on popular social-networking sites, such as Facebook, and instruct teachers to create school-related email accounts that are separate from their personal email accounts, for example, for interacting with students. The guidelines also call for principals or educational supervisors to closely monitor social-networking sites that are set up for educational purposes.

Despite the restrictions, city Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott touted the use of social networking as a way to engage students and boost learning. In a letter to school principals released April 30, he wrote that the responsible use of such...