BEA School Committee Use of Electronic Mail and Social Media
NEPN/NSBA Code: BEA
Use of Email
Use of electronic mail (email) by School Committee members should conform to the same standards of judgment, propriety and ethics as other forms of school committee-related communication. School Committee members shall use a district-provided email for all email correspondence concerning district business. School Committee members shall comply with the following guidelines when using email in the conduct of School Committee responsibilities:
1. The School Committee shall not use email as a substitute for deliberations at Board meetings or for other communications or business properly confined to School Committee meetings.
2. School Committee members should be aware that email and email attachments received or prepared for use in school committee business or containing information relating to school committee business are likely to be regarded as public records which may be inspected by any person upon request, unless otherwise made confidential by law.
3. School Committee members shall avoid reference to confidential information about employees, students or other matters in email communications because of the risk of improper disclosure. School Committee members should comply with the same standards as school employees with regard to confidential information.
Subject to certain exceptions, emails to and from Yarmouth School Committee members may be classified as public records under Maine law and could be released to the public and/or the media.
To emphasize the potentially public nature of emails to and from the School Committee, the above statement – or one similar – will be included on the contact page of the School Committee website and as a permanent signature line on all School Committee emails.
Use of Social Media
The School Committee recognizes that many, if not all, of its members are active users of social media, including but not limited to online platforms and other digital media such as blogs and personal websites. The School Committee understands that while social media can be a positive tool for supporting schools and encouraging community engagement, School Committee members need to be aware of the legal and ethical considerations that arise when they post, “message,” or otherwise interact with others on social media platforms.
It is not the intent of this policy to interfere with or restrict a School Committee member’s freedom of speech, but to set standards for social media conduct that are consistent with law and School Committee policy, including the School Committee’s Code of Ethics.
School Committee members shall comply with the following provisions:
School Committee members shall not post on social media or engage in online discussions as a substitute for deliberations at School Committee meetings. School Committee members should be aware that social media activity can be perceived as a meeting if a sufficient number (a quorum) of School Committee members are involved on the site to influence or determine the course of action that will be taken by the School Committee, even if other people are posting to the site as well.
School Committee members should be aware that any posting that pertains to school unit matters may create a “record” that is subject to laws and regulations pertaining to the retention and disposition of local government records, and to discovery in legal proceedings involving the School Committee or the school unit.
School Committee members shall avoid disclosing confidential or personally identifiable information about students (including images), school unit employees, or School Committee matters or discussions that have taken place in executive sessions. School Committee members shall comply with the same standards as school employees with regard to confidential information.
School Committee members should adhere to the following ethical guidelines when using social media in their role as public officials:
A School Committee member should:
Recognize that he/she has no authority to speak on behalf of the School Committee unless specifically designated to do so, and make it clear that he/she is speaking in his/her individual capacity;
Feel free to invite the public to upcoming school district events, share information about public hearings on bills that affect the schools, and share links to public information about the district (e.g. the proposed budget), and the like, but be clear that he/she is doing so as an individual and not in any official capacity;
Conduct themselves on social media in a manner that reflects well on the School Committee and on the school unit, and with the decorum expected of an elected official;
Avoid posting in anger, even when provoked;
Refrain from harassing, defaming, or disparaging fellow School Committee members or others for any reason, including those based on racial, religious, or other personal characteristics;
Keep deliberations within meetings of the School Committee;
Take care to avoid disclosing confidential or personally identifiable information about students (including images), school unit employees, or School Committee discussions that have taken place in executive sessions;
Avoid posting information that is misleading or inaccurate or which is has not been released to the public;
Not make any promise that they will vote in a particular way;
Avoid posting content that indicates they have reached an opinion on a pending matter;
Direct persons presenting concerns or complaints through social media to follow the School Committee’s policy (KE – Resolving Public Complaints);
When summarizing discussion or action that took place at School Committee meetings, share only information from open meetings and make it clear that the posting is not an official record of the meeting. A School Committee member should never disclose discussions that have occurred in executive session.
Retain electronic records, including the School Committee member’s own posts and content others post to the School Committee member’s account when required to do so by law, regulations, or legal process.
Comply with the school unit’s acceptable use rules, as applicable to school unit employees, when using school-unit owned devices or technology resources, or when accessing the Internet through school unit’s network using a personal device.
Legal reference:
1 MRSA § 401 et seq.
20-A MRSA § 6001-6002
20 USC § 1232g
Cross Reference:
BBAA‒Board Member Authority and Responsibilities
BCA‒Board Member Code of Ethics
BEC‒Executive Sessions
GBJ‒Personnel Records and Files
JRA‒Student Education Records and Information
KE‒Resolving Public Complaints
Adopted: March 8, 2012
Revised: November 9, 2023