These teachers are accused of having sexual relationships with students. It started on social media.
There isn't a statewide social media policy for teachers in Florida. Different rules are set and enforced by each district.
It all started on social media
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A friend request. A photo like. They are everyday occurrences in today’s world when it comes to social media.
But 10Investigates found some teachers are using social media to take advantage of students.
Since 2016, at least six Tampa Bay area teachers were arrested and accused of inappropriate contact with students.
One Polk County teacher admitted to having sex with a student. Another former middle school teacher in Pinellas County was arrested for having four separate sexual encounters with his victim.
A former private school official was accused of trying to entice a minor for sex -- again.
A teacher in Lutz was accused of "sexting" with a former student through Snapchat.
A 40-year-old middle school teacher was accused in November of having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student.
A high school teacher was charged with sexual battery after a student told deputies she had performed oral sex on him twice in his classroom.
The one thing these teachers have in common: their communication with the student started on social media.
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“It’s so horrifying because it’s preventable,” Andrea Vaughan said.
Vaughan is a member of SESAME, a national organization dedicated to preventing sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment of students by teachers and school staff. She is also a victim. Vaughan said she was molested by her middle school teacher for nearly a decade.
“He spent two years grooming me then started molesting me all through high school,” she said.
Vaughan said her teacher complimented her, told her how important she was and even gave her gifts, including a necklace she wore with pride.
The abuse happened in the 1980s. Back then, she said her teacher didn’t have nearly as much access to her as educators do today. She believes one of the main issues she sees in her work with students is that social media exposes children to 24-hour access from anyone, including their teachers.
“I had pockets of time to be away from him,” Vaughan said. “Social media changes all of that. (Teachers) have 24/7 access to these kids.”
Vaughan said it’s important all school districts have a strong social media policy to help deter inappropriate contact.
“So many times, there aren’t strict policies written down saying teachers should not have students on Facebook as friends,” Vaughan said.
For school districts in Florida, there is not a statewide social media policy regarding contact between teachers and students. Policies are created and enforced by individual districts.
10Investigates requested the social media policies from all Tampa Bay area school districts and found only five detail rules for contacting students online. Only two of those counties give specific guidelines for “friending” students on social media.
Hillsborough County's policy states teachers are not allowed to "friend" students on Facebook or use social media to post assignments or student information.
Sarasota County Schools teachers and staff are not allowed to have online interactions with students outside of academic use. If an employee needs to contact a student after hours, he or she must contact the parents first.
“We don’t have any room for vagueness,” Vaughan said.
Vaughan said she and her son have a "technology contract" which helps her keep track of who he is communicating with online.
How parents can help keep their kids safe online
Even with some districts having more detailed policies, many teachers aren’t aware of those policies. We asked 50 random teachers if they know what their policy is and only one teacher said yes.
Polk County School Board Chair Lynn Wilson agreed to speak with us about his district’s policy, which we found to be not as detailed as the rest.
“You brought it to our attention. You brought it to my attention and as a result, to that, I’m going to suggest we take a look at our policies,” Wilson said.
Wilson suggested strengthening the policy and including training for teachers.
“Social media is a challenge on so many different levels,” he said. “So I do think we have the responsibility to let our teachers know what’s appropriate and what’s not.”
Jason Geary, spokesman for Polk County Schools said, "It's my understanding that we don't often get asked to investigate social media violations, and it's a rather uncommon thing for our investigators."
We also got feedback from two more school districts in the area. Here's what they had to say:
"Our school board works with a company called Neola that works with school districts across the country to craft policies," Mike Barber, spokesman for Manatee County Schools, said. "They updated their core policies on a regular basis and are constantly reviewing policy areas to see how different influences like social media are changing the ways districts need to operate."
Karen Jordan with Hernando County Schools said, "All school board policies are reviewed and updated annually to ensure they provide sufficient specificity and direction."
School district social media policies
Citrus County
"All electronic communication with students for educational issues should be done using District-assigned electronic or digital communication."
Hernando County
"The District recognizes that employees may use social media for personal, as well as professional reasons. The District neither encourages nor discourages employees’ use of social media for personal purposes. The District regulates employees’ use of social media for purposes related to their District assignment to the same extent as it regulates any other form of employee communication in that regard."
"Staff members (including District-approved volunteers) must obtain parental consent for students to participate in the use of social media platforms/sites related to a school-sponsored activity. If a parent refuses to provide such consent, the staff member must arrange for an alternative method of communicating with the participating student concerning the school-sponsored activity."
Hillsborough County
"Does this policy allow a teacher to “friend” my child on Facebook?
Absolutely NOT. Under this policy, staff should NOT “Friend” students using a personal social media account. Staff should NOT post information about students on their personal social media accounts. Professional social media accounts must be school sponsored with the permission of the principal. Examples of professional social media accounts are a school’s Facebook and Twitter account. Items can only be posted there if a student has parent permission on file.
Will teachers use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc to post assignments?
No. Teachers will continue to use Edsby as the primary way of communicating with students and their parents."
Manatee County
"The School Board authorizes the use of social media to promote community involvement and facilitate effective communication with students, parents/guardians, staff including District approved volunteers and the general public.
Employees and District-approved volunteers are prohibited from posting or engaging in communication that violates State or Federal law, Board policies, or administrative procedures. If an employee/volunteer's communication interferes with his/her ability to effectively perform his/her job or violates State or Federal law, Board policies, or administrative procedures, the District may impose disciplinary action and/or refer the matter to appropriate law enforcement authorities."
Pasco County
"The Board authorizes the use of social media to promote community involvement and facilitate effective communication with students, parents/guardians, staff, and the general public.
The District recognizes that employees may use social media for personal, as well as professional reasons. The District neither encourages nor discourages employees’ use of social media for personal purposes. The District regulates employees’ use of social media for purposes related to their District assignment to the same extent as it regulates any other form of employee communication in that regard."
Pinellas County
"The School Board encourages positive and professional communication by staff with parents and students by means which best protect the interests of all concerned. Communications via personal electronic media such as Facebook, Twitter, cell phone messaging, and other personal electronic means regarding school matters have the potential to create both public records and education records, or to contain personally identifiable student information. The School Board is ultimately responsible for the maintenance and proper disposal of such records and for the protection of such confidential information, and is dependent upon its employees to meet this responsibility.
Staff communications with parents and students via private electronic media concerning non-school-related matters are governed in part by, and may lead to discipline under, Board Policies 1140, 3140, and 4140."
Polk County
"An employee's personal or private use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, etc., may have unintended consequences. While the Board respects its employees' First Amendment rights, those rights do not include permission to engage in conduct that violates Board policies, the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida, the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida, or any other state of Federal laws, and may result in disciplinary action. This warning includes staff members' online conduct that occurs off school property including from the employee's private computer."
Sarasota County
4. Friending Students – Employees should not have online interactions with students on social networking sites outside of those forums dedicated to academic use. District employees’ social networking profiles and personal blogs should not be linked to students’ online profiles. Additionally, District employees should use appropriate discretion when using social networks for personal communications and should limit this activity to off-duty hours and the use of their own electronic communication devices.
5. Contacting Students Off-Hours – If an employee needs to contact a district student during off-duty hours using either district-owned communication devices, network services, an Internet access route or those of the employee, the employee should begin by contacting the student’s parent(s) or legal guardian through their district registered phone number. District employees should only contact District students for educational purposes and must never disclose confidential information possessed by the employee by virtue of his or her district employment.
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