Expectations for the Use of Social Media

Urban Teachers recognizes that the Internet provides unique opportunities to participate in interactive discussions and share information. We encourage participants to responsibly use social media, as long as there is adherence to all of the Urban Teachers guidelines regarding personal social media usage below. 

Under no circumstances may an Urban Teachers participant post a student’s name, photograph, video, or work on any social media site or any website without explicit written permission from a guardian or school leader, according to your school’s policies. Any violation of this requirement will render a participant subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the Urban Teachers program.

Guidelines for Personal Social Media Usage

1. Work comes first. Don’t let social media get in the way of you – or your colleagues – doing your job and what’s expected of you.
2. Understand the privacy settings associated with your social media accounts. Configure the privacy settings on your social media profile to aptly satisfy your privacy requirements.
3. Never communicate with students via social media or direct messaging. The concealed nature of communication via social media between an educator and a student is inappropriate.
4. Feel free to let everyone know you work for Urban Teachers but make it clear that the statements you post are your own. Something in your account profile, or a simple #IMO would work fine. 
5. Remember that whatever you post can easily make its way to mass media. Be aware of and respect the confidentiality of Urban Teachers, American University, and your local school and abide by any policies dictated by them. Lack of respect for the privacy of persons and organizations will not be tolerated. 
6. Your voice can be powerful, so don’t spread false information, rumors or misleading claims about Urban Teachers (including staff and faculty), our products and services, or other partners. Get the facts to always be honest and accurate. 
7. Anything you share on the internet can take on a life of its own and be hard to remove once it’s out there. Always ask yourself if you’d want this printed on the front page of every newspaper. 
8. If a journalist contacts you, be sure to direct them to the Urban Teachers (ask.ut@urbanteachers.org). 
9. Complaints or concerns about Urban Teachers are best resolved by speaking directly with someone, rather than distributed on social media. 
10. If you make a mistake, be quick to correct it. Then contact Urban Teachers for some additional help (ask.ut@urbanteachers.org) and be clear about what you did to fix it. 
11. Show respect for others’ opinions, even when you might not agree. Don’t engage in trolling or flaming. Don’t bully others using malicious, obscene, threatening or intimidating actions; don’t use discriminatory remarks, threats of violence or unlawful conduct, content meant to harm someone’s reputation or anything that could create a hostile work environment on the basis of age, race, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion or any other status protected by law or Urban Teachers policies.