Portage Social Media Policy

Employees of a school district in southern Wisconsin will no longer be allowed to use their personal social media accounts to engage students. The Portage Community School District will now require staff members to create a separate social media account that’s open to the general public in order to communicate with students. The policy prohibits staff from friending or directly communicating with students and from identifying students in photos or video on personal accounts. School board member Connie Shlimovitz was the lone vote against the measure. She says she worries it’s a step backward at a time when social media is extremely popular. School board member Chad Edwards says the district hopes to avoid incidents where staff members are disciplined for posts on their social media.