New law will limit teachers' communication with students

[Sherman A1]

The state of Missouri is about to start policing the social networking of its teachers.
It's just one facet of a new state law aimed at preventing the sexual abuse of students by their teachers.
The Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, which takes effect on Aug. 28, sets strict rules on what's considered appropriate behavior when it comes to text messages and the use of sites like Facebook.
In a nutshell, the law appears to prohibit private communication between a teacher and a student. And it may very well make it illegal for teachers to have students as friends on Facebook.


Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/7430605a-f952-5583-bf68-db85a223b455.html#ixzz1U3QYPhbI

[exboyfil]

1. Interesting

Two of my older daughters teachers communicate frequently on Facebook with their students. Her old English teacher inspires them to read and think about literature over the summer. Her old Physical Science teacher talks about science with her students and tries to promote an interest in majoring in a STEM field. I see many positive experiences from these efforts, but I could also see a downside to it as well.