Technology

Getting Fired for Using Technology 101

On February 4, 2019
By daniel50
0 Comments

Before we talk about getting fired because of technology, it is important to know the laws that are in place in regards to teachers, parents, and children with the use of technology.

What is FERPA?

FERPA, or The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, is a law that protects the rights of students’ to the privacy of their personal information from educational records. The parents are in control of these rights until the student turns eighteen, then this is turned over to the student. To read more about FERPA check out this link

What is COPPA?

COPPA, or The Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act, is a law that addresses the collection of the personal information of children under the age of thirteen through any online source. To read more about COPPA check out this link

Three Ways to Get Fired

Posting about students or parents on social media

Talking about students or parents on social media, especially negatively, can put an educator’s job in jeopardy. This is why it is important for teachers to be cautious about what they post on social media, as just one post could end your career.

For example, according to this news article, an Ohio middle school teacher was put on administrative leave when a picture was found on her Snapchat about the high school prom. The teacher stated, “These damn kids and parents…not enough money for school supplies or passing grades but out here renting horses” on her Snapchat, resulting in outrage from parents and the risk of losing her job.

Texting about students or parents

Teachers should not text anyone about the personal information or any complaints they have about their students. Even when stressed out, teachers should avoid venting about their students to their friends over text because you never know who is actually going to see it.

For instance, Insider reported in this article, the story of a teacher from Texas being fired for accidentally sending texts complaining about an autistic student to his mother. The mother was on the phone with the teacher when she received the horrible text messages, one which stated, “This lil motherf–er like a baby for mommy because he wants to go home”.

Leaving students and your phone unattended

Teachers should never leave their students unattended, especially with their unlocked phones, as it could leave to this horror story that a high school teacher had to face.

A high school teacher in South Carolina was fired after her students went through her phone, found a nude image of her, and posted it on social media. Even though there were many people showing support teacher through filling out a petition with over 8,000 signatures to get her job back, still the school district’s superintendent found fault in the teacher because she left students in her classroom unattended.

Ways to avoid these issues?

Many problems that teachers have using technology could have been prevented. There are some great online sources that teachers can check out as a guide to using technology as a teacher. Some of which include:

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