Suspended Teacher in Facebook Incident Ignites Debate: Should Online Privacy for Educators Exist? -- THE Journal

Suspended Teacher in Facebook Incident Ignites Debate: Should Online Privacy for Educators Exist?

By Dian Schaffhauser
11/19/08

According to the attorney for a Charlotte, North Carolina teacher suspended for a comment made on her Facebook page, the postings were intended to be read only by friends to whom she granted access. In an article published Friday by The Charlotte Observer, attorney John Gresham is quoted as saying, "Facebook pages are only meant to be viewed by people permitted to see them." He questioned how the private postings became public and whether "it was appropriate for a reporter to air private postings."

The suspension occurred after a Charlotte television news station did a search on the social networking site for people who identified themselves as staff members of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

The unidentified teacher, who teaches at Thomasboro Elementary School, which has 94 percent of its students in the free lunch program, wrote in her Facebook page, "I am teaching in the most ghetto school in Charlotte."

Four other teachers in the district are also being disciplined for statements and photos posted to their Facebook pages.

The incident has generated a discussion among teachers, parents, administrators, and privacy advocates regarding free speech for teachers, what district policy should be allowed to mandate about teachers' involvements in social networking sits, and the definition of what's really private in online settings.

Among comments made to The Charlotte Observer article, several posters suggested that firing was too harsh a punishment for the Thomasboro teacher.

"The teacher probably didn't understand the privacy settings on her Facebook account. Information you post can be either publicly viewable or something that is just seen by your friends. She probably thought what she was posting was private, but left the default settings on to let everyone see your profile," commented BluNews. "A lot of people unknowingly do this. That said, the teacher messed up and certainly diminished her ability to teach her kids. I'm not sure if firing her is the right thing to do, but she should be disciplined. Also, I doubt this is the last time we'll hear about something like this. School systems should set policy on issues like this and warn teachers that negative postings about their jobs could lead to disciplinary actions."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.

Comments

Sun, Nov 6, 2011 Silverfox Chicago, Illinois

Wow. I mean like how naive can someone who calls themselves a professional be? You cannot speak in a public forum making negative comments about your employer and not expect consequences. Policy or not, how about a little common sense here? Whatever is place on the internet is permanent. It stays out there in Cyberspace forever. That being said, what needs to be considered here is that as "author" of anything I write, I should always be willing to take responsibility for my writing and openly expressed thoughts. I see several issues here and they each set squarely in the lap of the teacher. First issue - INTEGRITY; adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. Second issue - PROFESSIONALISM; the standing, practice, or methods of a professional, as distinguished from an amateur. Third and last issue - TRUST; confident expectation of something or someone. In summary here, The teacher in question showed neither prudence in judgement or character for her profession.Likewise, her Facebook "friends" displayed the highest order of distrust. Hence, the culprit is not a "friend". The naivete' of anyone should not be exploited. However, as professionals, we should all be savvy and familiar with the tools we are exposed to as not embarrass ourselves or others. This can be summed up as a "Lesson Learned".

Wed, Sep 7, 2011

I would not want a teacher who felt as though she were in too much of a higher class to teach my child. If this teacher feels as though she is in the wrong place then, yes she is in the wrong place and needs to leave. I want a teacher who cares for my child and has a desire to increase the knowledge of my child. So let her have her freedom of speech so that we can know what type of person is in our schools so we can get ride of the bad apples!

Wed, Jul 6, 2011 Tom Torchia Harrisburg, PA

These posts are extremely interesting and I, quite frankly, am proud of most of you for posting them, for the flame of Liberty is burning brightly within you. There is cause for HOPE !There are obviously many facets to this, the least important of which is perhaps the teacher's comment. ". . . ghetto school"? Common, we have all heard worse. In some circles this is a compliment. More important to me is what is in the teacher's heart. If she is truly unhappy with her situation and is truly judging the people she is supposed to be serving in a negative way, then I think she should be reassessing her position and perhaps move on, for she is doing no good in that school. The privacy issue is also extremely important. While it remains good advice not to submit anything to the web that you would not want someone to see, the web is increasingly becoming the mode of communication for many, and thus privacy MUST be respected. Similarly, though is is my personal opinion that our right to free speech was never intended as a license to spread garbage and slander throughout the culture, her free speech rights need to considered and honored here. Finally, and perhaps the most important is the sentiment many of you expressed regarding the thin skinned and, quite frankly, hypociritically selective outrage that occurs during controversies such as this. The elusion to the Facebook posts of the kids in the school being even worse than the teacher's brings up a good point. Certain amung us, who say all manner of evil things in all manner of appropriate ways are suddenly agast when someone else ventures into that behavior, no matter how innocent or slight the incursion. I am a Christian, but I am sick of hearing WWJD. I find that most of the time the people using it really have not thought the issue through and need to remove the plank from their own eye so that they can see clearly to help another remove the speck from his. Honesty, mutual respect, love, honor, integrity, dignity, forgiveness, justice, mercy - these are qualities for which we should be striving and helping others to pursue them as well. But in the end none of us is perfect. We are all flawed. Which is precisely why we need God's grace and His Salvation. All we can do is our very best and trust in His Providence.

Wed, Feb 16, 2011

The state of our world saddens me. We can not hold our children accountable if we do not lead by example. It is our job to teach children that we DO have to be accountable and there are consequences for bad behavior. WWJD! Yes, (What Would Jesus Do) He would not spend countless hours every day judging other people and putting them down. There is not one human being on the face of this earth that is better than the other one. God loves us all. When will everyone learn to love their brothers and sisters????

Wed, Feb 2, 2011 Katherine Shaw,MS

WWW(what would Jesus do)?We all say we are Christians but we still try to hurt and tear our sisters and brothers down. Put yourself in that lady place, would you want to be treated like this? No!So what if I say I'm teaching in a ghetto place.Are you ghetto or what? Was this in school district policy? Forgive and let live. Jesus forgive. This day and time everyone needs a job. If you dig one ditch you better dig two because the other one will be for you. Every one is gonna reap what they sow, so you should want to sow good seeds. To the teacher that they are giving a hard time, hold your head up, you are somebody, God loves you and he will forgive.When you make a mistake, ask God to forgive you and do not make that same mistake again. Don't worry about the hatters and the troublemakers, they were all around Jesus but He showed them Love anyway. Be a peacemaker not a peace breaker. Facebook page, "I am teaching in the most ghetto school in Charlotte."

Tue, Jan 18, 2011

The great thing about this whole thing is that it has spurred a conversation and that is something that we have fought for here in our country, Freedom of speech whether you like what is being said or not.

Sat, Oct 9, 2010 stroudsburg

in school we are learnin about our school rights as students we dont have the right to post things bad about anyone in our school so i dont think teachers should have the rights either like the other day my friend got suspend for putting "I FUCKING HATE MY SCHOOL" on her facebook nd she had 3 days of ACE/In School Suspension

Tue, May 4, 2010

LOL… as if no one has ever said anything negative about their place of employment and the people in it.. Stop being so self-righteous America and stop having the “MY KID WOULD NEVER” syndrome and everything will be just fine. For all of you shocked parents out there get the hell over it.. Seriously, if you would watch your bad ass little fuckers every now and then you wouldn’t have others calling the school they attend Ghetto… Now, for the individuals having to call out how Ghetto their place of employment is there is always McDonald’s… I’m sure someone else would love to have your position… It’s a two way street people… stop gawking at everything little accident on the road and focus on the real problems here…

Tue, May 4, 2010

"The teacher probably didn't understand the privacy settings on her Facebook account...." If she can't even figure that out she is probably not intelligent enough to be a teacher. Free speech?? Are you kidding? So if she or any other educator were to insult your child online or in person you would just say, "Oh well, she/he has the right under the constitution"? I don't think so.

Thu, Apr 22, 2010

ignites debate!!!! oh wow, omg, wow. no way! SOO. DONT YOU LOVE THIS SERIOUSLY SCREWD UP GOV! ooo am i gunna get suspended now?!? cant friggen wait! grow up america. its a so called "free country" yeaah, since when, since our teachers are paying a price for expressing feelings. How the hell can you make a differance in this country if you have to watch everyf_ing thing you say!! they make basically no $$$$$, EVEN GARBAGE MEN MAKE MORE THEN THEM. so why suspend them, its not like their working there bc of the money. They must really love teaching, and must be an out-of0the-box finonminal teacher that america has once again shut down. JUST STOP. you think your all proper? and you think teachers should be role models? nooo! they should teach us, and they should show us how to be individuals tha can and will make a differance in the world. this perticular teacher was showing her feeling on facebook and trying to get better conditions, but for trying to help the school she gets suspeneded. ARE YOU SERIOUS. everyone who posted "she should have got mre punishment" should absolutely be ashamed of yourself. and we are all wellaware your children are going to grow up as followers who let people walk all over them. and i am truely sorry if i offended anyones preshish little feelings. harsh world. we know your children wont live in it.

Thu, Apr 22, 2010

ghetto.. oh no i said ghetto, oh no! Seriously, it is absolutely horrible to think someone losses their job because they expressed on their private facebook wall their feelings upon the situation. Im sure it was completely illegal to take her postings public, but in all more terms, look at some of the kids facebooks walls attending thie "ghetto" school. Im sure some of them are saying "im gunna beet this kid up" and "english teachers an___hole" and "detention today with lame teacher, obvieously not going" hah, you punish the teacher. ha.

Tue, Jan 26, 2010

so, she made the comment, how about fixing the community and the economy so it won't be the ghetto anymore??? How about addressing that? People are really upset b/c she called it the ghetto, not because she posted the comment. come on, Improve the pay and the authority of teachers, and they won't feel the need to complain about their environment. Give them back authority and respect that they used to have, that we dumbly took from them. Make the children behave and appreciate their right to an education, and the teachers won't mind if they are in a bad neighborhood, they will enjoy their jobs again.

Tue, Jan 26, 2010 Brandi Rose

this teacher should of put her page privet

Tue, Jan 26, 2010 melinda school

all i am going to say is that the teacher got what she dersves.....

Fri, Dec 4, 2009

Erie, Pa...The last sentence is your comment is total bullcrap!!! Nobody can say or write anything these days without others complaining or whining about it.

Fri, Nov 27, 2009 Erie, PA

Teacher or not, you should not post anything to FACEBOOK or any other social networking site that you wouldn't mind other people reading. You never know who is gaining access. If you wouldn't say it to a child, don't post it; if you wouldn't say it to your parent, don't post it; if you wouldn't say it to your spouse, don't post it! If you want to make a private statement, meet someone for lunch or make a phone call. The school district is totally within rights to terminate the employee, unfortunately.

Tue, Nov 24, 2009

People! Don't we have bigger fish to fry? The Woman makes a private comment about a school and suddenly the Charlotte School Board amongst many other bleeding heart liberal teachers want to skin her alive. What next? Teacher's in uniforms? Perhaps a change to the Pledge? How much power does local government get over the teacher? Where does it stop, or does it? Frankly, what is the real issue here? Is it demanding teacher perfection or giving local governments and BHLs the authority to change the laws of what was once our land? As one teacher to another teacher. I beleive the time is here to stick together and nevermind this kind of petty stuff. We need to look at the bigger picture and work with what we have and we need to do what is right for the wide range of human citizens our Americanized school's embrace. Remember, nobody is twisting anyone's arm to be an American or to be an American teacher. Like it or not, we must accept everybody in America, even those who "SPEAK" and state their mind. We need to build the self esteem of the poor who come from econimically deprived environments, we must love the tax-exempt non-citizens who get free educations and free and reduced lunches at the price of exempting our brightest students, and so on. God Bless America and I am Proud to be an American Christian who says "In God We Trust" YO! What chah Gona do bout dat?

Mon, Nov 16, 2009

The whole things sounds like an invasion of privacy. Free of speech is our right. Our Amendments are broke everyday but our government. Is the school boards any better? No. She stated an opinion and thats all it is. What the hell is going on when we get punished for stating our opinions. When we get in trouble for it its stupid. We dont have rights anymore. We are supposed to be the freeist country. Yeah right!! I support her. You make all the comments you want.

Thu, Nov 12, 2009

she deserves more than just suspension. i mean teachers are supposed to be well socialized individuals.Gone are the days when a teacher could be held in high esteem. Now I'm training to become a teacher and her dilemma just makes me feel aweful.

Thu, Oct 1, 2009

I guess the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America does not apply to teachers. "Ghetto" the term, like much slang, has many meanings and possible interpretations. I think any punishment harsher than a conference with administration is blowing this particular case way out proportion. Is there a teachers' union in N.Carolina??? Doubt it.

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

You cannot believe the crazy statements I have heard and my children have heard from educators. However, we all have to remember that they are human. She used poor judgement in her comments, but I don't think it should be grounds for dismissal. Her comment was tame in comparison to some that I have heard. She should be put on a "plan," or sent to cultural sensitivity training, but firing her seems a little harsh.

Sat, Aug 15, 2009

I think the thing that people forget is that we have freedom of speech in this country, we fought and died for it. Her statement on facebook is an opinion and every one has one. The only time it is sinful to state one is when some one gets angry over what was said.She has made her life difficult because she is now judged and so working will be hard on her. There is really no greater punishment the what a person can give to themselves.She will need to start her professional life all over again, that is punishment enough.

Thu, Aug 13, 2009

I think they did the correct thing by punishing her. I am a teacher and I also have facebook, but I think that we should be held to different standards than some other professionals because we are supposed to be role models for children and for the community. Anything you post on the internet is not going to be private, no matter what. People need to be aware of this and not post things that they wouldn't want the whole world to know. That goes along with telling something to someone. If you do not want it to be known, or you think it might be something that could come back to get you, you should keep it to yourself. I am tired of going into schools and seeing teachers gossip and complain about their jobs. If you don't like it, then why did you go into the profession and why did you not research the school before accepting a position there?

Thu, Aug 13, 2009

Fri, Jun 26, 2009

ALL I WANT TO SAY..............I HAVE TAUGHT AT A LOT OF GHETTO SCHOOLS TOO. AND I HAVE LOVED EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL BECAUSE THE PARENTS AND STUDENTS ARE R E A L PEOPLE AND THEY HAVE LIVED A VERY HARD LIFE FROM THE MOMENT THEY CAME INTO THIS WORLD. I WANT TO, ALSO, SAY......LEAVE THIS POOR TEACHER WHO MADE THE COMMENT ALONE.....I NO LONGER HAVE THE DESIRE TO TEACH PUBLIC SCHOOL IN NORTH CAROLINA BECAUSE OF PETTY CRAP LIKE THIS. WE HAVE FREE SPEECH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA......DO WE NOT? PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED AND NOW IT IS EVEN TOLERATED TO KISS, DATE, AND EVEN MARRY THE SAME SEX.....ARE THOSE TEACHERS' BEING DISCIPLINED???? AND I WAS TAUGHT IN MY BIBLE CLASS....YES IT WAS IN A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL.....WAY BACK IN THE 80'S THAT WOMAN WITH WOMAN AND MEN WITH MEN WAS THE SIN OF ALL SINS. BUT I KNOW MANY GAY TEACHERS....??? I FEEL HALF OF THE PEOPLE WORK AT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION NEEDS TO BE SUSPENDED OR FIRED FOR HAVING TEACHERS' TEACH TO THE EOG TESTS...DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT TOPIC!

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