A social media policy aiming to give Tasmanian teachers clarity about appropriate interaction with students outside the classroom is expected to be rolled out next school term, according to the Education Department.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Department deputy secretary Liz Banks said yesterday the policy was being developed to provide clarity, security and guidance for staff.
``The department's Web Safety in Schools policy is designed to ensure that Tasmanian students participate safely in technology-based learning and use technology responsibly,'' she said.
Ms Banks said the department already provided guidelines for staff on social media issues.
It also advises not to engage in correspondence with students of a personal nature including letters, email, phone, SMS text, Facebook and MySpace.
Ms Banks said schools developed their own policies on cyber bullying, internet and mobile phone use.
Education Minister Nick McKim will be asked to tighten controls on social media use at the Tasmanian State School Parents and Friends annual conference this weekend.
St Helens District High School association president and former Lyons Labor MHA Heather Butler will put the motion to the conference on Saturday.
Mrs Butler cited the example of a teacher who left a school but wished to stay in contact with some students. However, parents did not want this to occur.
``At the moment it's just leaving schools, parents and students in a very uncertain situation,'' Mrs Butler said.
Parents and friends vice-president Jenny Eddington said the issue of a social policy in schools was something that was repeatedly mentioned to her and needed to be addressed.
She said there had been a number of cases in the past where teachers were ``friends'' with students on social media sites like Facebook and MySpace and put up images of their personal exploits, while sexting among students had also become more of an issue.
